Taylor Swift ticket trouble could drive political engagement

It started Nov. 15, when millions crowded a presale for Swift's long-awaited Eras Tour, resulting in crashes, prolonged waits and frantic purchases. By Thursday, Ticketmaster had canceled the general sale, citing insufficient remaining tickets and inciting a firestorm of outrage from fans. Swift herself said the ordeal"really pisses me off."

Stephanie Aly, a New York-based professional who has worked on community organizing for progressive politics, for years has thought mobilizing fandoms for social progress could be beneficial. "The level of anger that you've just seen in the country around this issue is astounding," said Jean Sinzdak, associate director for the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University."People are really sharing their feelings about that and building a movement about that online, which I really think is quite fascinating. It's certainly an opportunity to engage people politically. Whether it lasts is hard to say, but it certainly feels like a real opportunity.

Fan culture and community has boosted that tendency toward mobilization. Nisbett was studying parasocial relationships -- when fans have strong one-way relationships with celebrities -- in 2018, when the previously apolitical Swift posted an endorsement of Democratic candidates to social media. Nisbett found that while such posts may not determine fans' votes, they still led to the increased likelihood fans would look for more information about voting -- and actually vote.

This isn't even the first time a fandom or an artist has targeted Ticketmaster. Pearl Jam took aim at the company in 1994, although the Justice Department ultimately declined to bring a case. More recently, Bruce Springsteen fans were enraged over high ticket costs because of the platform's dynamic pricing system.

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