In the past, I don’t think this question would have mattered so much, but in the age of social media monetization, and the palpable deterioration of politics and society, it seems that consumption of certain media or creators is directly linked to their political prerogatives.
Given the unbelievable tragedy unfolding in our country, with families being actively split on the basis of bigotry and racism, why is everyone so silent?
Is it Taylor Swift’s job to speak out against ICE raids in Minnesota? Or is she allowed to remain a safe haven for fans to flock to when there is seemingly no escape from a harsh reality?
If you are watching an artists’ movies, listening to their music, and engaging with their sponsored content, should you know where the money they make is going?
I’d like to start by examining the 2008 presidential election between John McCain and Barack Obama, focusing specifically on Oprah Winfrey’s role in the race. In a study conducted by Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore of the University of Maryland, Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama earned the two-term President an estimated 1,015,559 votes, following her messages of advocacy via The Oprah Winfrey Show, O! The Oprah Magazine, and Oprah’s Book Club.
“Our results suggest that Winfrey’s
Garthwaite, Craig, and Timothy J. Moore. “Can Celebrity Endorsements Affect Political Outcomes? Evidence from the 2008 US Democratic Presidential Primary.” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, vol. 29, no. 2, 2012, pp. 355–384,
endorsement was responsible for approximately 1,000,000 additional votes for Obama.”
Another interesting case surrounding this exact topic is Taylor Swift’s endorsement of local politician Phil Bredesen in the 2018 midterm election in Tennessee. In 2018, Swift had 112 million followers on Instagram. In the wake of her Instagram endorsement, Vote.org released data estimating more voter registrations in the day after Taylor’s post than the entire month of August. Within that singular day, there were 51,308 new voter registrations.
“Vote.org reporting more registrations on the day afters Taylor Swift’s post than in all of the month of August.”
Swift, Taylor. “Miss Americana.” Netflix, 22 Jan. 2020.
As of right now, Taylor Swift has not only 281 million followers on Instagram, but a world tour that shot her into a global sphere of popularity, made her millions, if not billions of dollars, and proved that she is more influential now than ever before. If she could garner almost fifty-two thousand voter registrations by endorsing a Democrat in the midterm election, imagine what she could do today for issues worldwide. This new sphere of fame brought security for her monetarily, with funds that could last multiple lifetimes for the average person. Is loss of money the issue here? Is she too famous to get involved? In her documentary, she expresses that her decision to go public with her endorsement was largely made from a moral standpoint. Have her ethics changed? Why won’t she say anything now, and is it okay if she stays silent forever?
After conducting online research, and engaging in discourse surrounding this topic with people of all ages, my conclusion is, I don’t know. I’d like to know what my favorite public figures believe, but I’m not entitled to that information. Based on the data, I know they would be able to make waves of change, but that isn’t the job they signed up for. Have the conditions of ‘the job’ changed?