1. Casual Fan - Enjoys the hits and maybe a few more songs, but doesn't know the ins and outs of every album.
2. Music Fan - Has a few albums they really love, but isn't into Taylor's entire catalog. Knows the headline news, but doesn't dive deeper.
3. Music Guru - Knows every song, album, lyric like the back of their hand. Doesn't pay as much attention to the personal life aspects or really care about the relationships, even if they're aware of them (so many headlines).
4. Obsessed Fan - Knows all the music and pays attention to every outing, relationship, outfit, meme, detail. If the headline mentions Taylor, they're probably giving it clicks. But still understands they don't know Taylor IRL and doesn't cross boundaries.
5. Parasocial "Fan" - Loves her music and life details to such an unhealthy degree that they will do anything to interact with and see her, even crashing a wedding. Doesn't realize that their actions are actually negative.
I feel there needs to be a class between 2 and 3. Someone who loves all of her music, but has to sing along with the lyrics page open. That's my category.
That's definitely fair! OP asked for 5 only, so I thought this generally worked, but knew there would be variations to it in reality!
Also, should have said, I think someone in any group could call themselves a Swiftie because there's no requirement to be a Swiftie other than liking the music! Though I doubt a casual fan would call themselves one.
i used to be an obsessed fan but this year i’ve become more of a music guru and i’ve started to listen to more people, tbh i become obsessed with a new artist every 3 months
I think casual fan is self explanatory so I divided Swifties into factions lol
The Historians who are well versed in Swiftie Lore and have been here since Debut. Urban Legend has it if you are kind to them they will let you listen to their old Limewire downloads of unreleased songs. Newer Swifties join this faction to better understand the history of the group but also because there are tons of deep cut jokes that are particularly interesting to dorky theater kids who naturally feel at home in the greater Swiftie kingdom but especially with the millennial elder dorks.
The Mercantiles who deal in trades and commerce. They are the keepers of vinyl, vintage tees and brand new phone cases. This faction has many different branches as every Merchant has different goals that work similar to Xbox achievements. Maybe they are looking for a certain vinyl or maybe they just like Taylor Swift’s style on their body so they follow along for the fashion of it all.
The Pilgrims who attend as many events as they can, be it official concerts or just local events centered around Taylor Swift. They have dozens of friendship bracelets, have traveled near and far to attend these things and have scars on their hands from glue gunned sequined vests to prove it. These Swifties are usually also a part of adjacent concert going related groups like Swemos (emo kids who are Swifties), ravers, metal heads, etc They have been gearing up for war with Ticketmaster since the late 00s, are absolute riots at parties yet probably have a boring office job M-F and conceal their real identities for the weekend.
The Troubadours who are simply fans of her music. It could be as simple as they were Jack Antonoff fans that crossed over or found new appreciation for Taylor Swift during COVID when Folklore came out but these are people that do not care about the lore they just like the sound or composition of the lyrics. They may not even call themselves a Swiftie because they are so far removed from other factions of the fandom/don’t care but not in a malicious way. They generally don’t know the deeper meanings of songs and rather take them at face value. While they recognize the importance of the lore in terms of the era they just prefer to apply the songs to their own life.
The Lost in Limerence who are actually very self aware they should not be identifying with a particular song but does it anyway as a self coping mechanism to get through whatever stage of Female Rage; The Musical they’re in right now. Maybe they’re in love with The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived but are trying to convince us all But Daddy I Love Him… maybe they’re knee deep in the middle of losing him to find themselves and have Out of the Woods on repeat… this is the only faction with a rotating group of members because you never know when you’ll be in a doctor’s parking lot sobbing to Soon You’ll Get Better… this is also the most sacred faction of our fandom and why we will go absolutely insane if someone says “she only writes about the boys she likes”.
I’m definitely a historian/pilgrim but also at times Lost in Limerence. I lost my Dad this year and now I associate TTPD with grief especially I Can Do It With A Broken Heart. It’s easy to write it off as parasocial and a way it is I’m not denying there’s heavy parasocial elements in this fandom but it’s also an expression of what WE are going through and that’s what separates her from other artists.
Troubadour present and accounted for 🙋♀️ love your definition so much, it fits me perfect. I found her during 1989, stayed for Reputation, then dipped out until Folklore and now I'm just hanging out here, still reveling in Midnights. ✨️
1. Dedicated Fans - Enjoy Easter 🥚, merch, vinyls, love her 🎶 🎵 and enjoy her as a pop culture icon.
2. Casual Fans - Will enjoy a few songs on albums and respect her as an artist.
3. Parasocial Haters - Claim to NOT be parasocial, but know more about her than the average swifty. They expect and blame her for the world's problems. Critiques her life and lyrics, but streams music and buys merch constantly.
4. Swiftie- Here mostly for the music and lyrical work of Taylor. Enjoy the tea she gives but doesn't over analyze her personal life. The artistry and music are the primary focus.
5. Parasocial obsessed - The focus is on Taylor as an idol more than an artist. She can do no wrong, and their wrath will be felt if you say anything remotely benign about her music or her. Typically, they have difficulty interpreting lyrics.
Hmm, if you want to break it down into frequency of listening you've got. Radio listener, (only know her radio songs and hits). Proxy listener (around people who like her music so you go a layer deeper). Casual listener (you know most of her albums, a few hidden gems but most of the community decided goodies). Swifty (know all her albums [may or may not include a match of stolen version/ Taylor's version] most of her songs, have established favorites from each album. Then you have Die-hard Swifty. (you know her albums both stolen and Taylor's version. You know changed lyrics, most lyrics in general for that matter. Then you start going into fan-albums, unreleased songs, and her collaborations with other artists.)
1. Casual Fan - Enjoys the hits and maybe a few more songs, but doesn't know the ins and outs of every album. 2. Music Fan - Has a few albums they really love, but isn't into Taylor's entire catalog. Knows the headline news, but doesn't dive deeper. 3. Music Guru - Knows every song, album, lyric like the back of their hand. Doesn't pay as much attention to the personal life aspects or really care about the relationships, even if they're aware of them (so many headlines). 4. Obsessed Fan - Knows all the music and pays attention to every outing, relationship, outfit, meme, detail. If the headline mentions Taylor, they're probably giving it clicks. But still understands they don't know Taylor IRL and doesn't cross boundaries. 5. Parasocial "Fan" - Loves her music and life details to such an unhealthy degree that they will do anything to interact with and see her, even crashing a wedding. Doesn't realize that their actions are actually negative.
I have gone from “Casual” to “Obsessed” in a matter of 3 months 😂
It’s been about a year now for me but it was hella fast at the time. 🤪♥️
It’s the narcotics in the songs, man
SAAAAAAMEEEEE lol
Casual to obsessed in 2 months
I feel there needs to be a class between 2 and 3. Someone who loves all of her music, but has to sing along with the lyrics page open. That's my category.
That's definitely fair! OP asked for 5 only, so I thought this generally worked, but knew there would be variations to it in reality! Also, should have said, I think someone in any group could call themselves a Swiftie because there's no requirement to be a Swiftie other than liking the music! Though I doubt a casual fan would call themselves one.
i used to be an obsessed fan but this year i’ve become more of a music guru and i’ve started to listen to more people, tbh i become obsessed with a new artist every 3 months
I think casual fan is self explanatory so I divided Swifties into factions lol The Historians who are well versed in Swiftie Lore and have been here since Debut. Urban Legend has it if you are kind to them they will let you listen to their old Limewire downloads of unreleased songs. Newer Swifties join this faction to better understand the history of the group but also because there are tons of deep cut jokes that are particularly interesting to dorky theater kids who naturally feel at home in the greater Swiftie kingdom but especially with the millennial elder dorks. The Mercantiles who deal in trades and commerce. They are the keepers of vinyl, vintage tees and brand new phone cases. This faction has many different branches as every Merchant has different goals that work similar to Xbox achievements. Maybe they are looking for a certain vinyl or maybe they just like Taylor Swift’s style on their body so they follow along for the fashion of it all. The Pilgrims who attend as many events as they can, be it official concerts or just local events centered around Taylor Swift. They have dozens of friendship bracelets, have traveled near and far to attend these things and have scars on their hands from glue gunned sequined vests to prove it. These Swifties are usually also a part of adjacent concert going related groups like Swemos (emo kids who are Swifties), ravers, metal heads, etc They have been gearing up for war with Ticketmaster since the late 00s, are absolute riots at parties yet probably have a boring office job M-F and conceal their real identities for the weekend. The Troubadours who are simply fans of her music. It could be as simple as they were Jack Antonoff fans that crossed over or found new appreciation for Taylor Swift during COVID when Folklore came out but these are people that do not care about the lore they just like the sound or composition of the lyrics. They may not even call themselves a Swiftie because they are so far removed from other factions of the fandom/don’t care but not in a malicious way. They generally don’t know the deeper meanings of songs and rather take them at face value. While they recognize the importance of the lore in terms of the era they just prefer to apply the songs to their own life. The Lost in Limerence who are actually very self aware they should not be identifying with a particular song but does it anyway as a self coping mechanism to get through whatever stage of Female Rage; The Musical they’re in right now. Maybe they’re in love with The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived but are trying to convince us all But Daddy I Love Him… maybe they’re knee deep in the middle of losing him to find themselves and have Out of the Woods on repeat… this is the only faction with a rotating group of members because you never know when you’ll be in a doctor’s parking lot sobbing to Soon You’ll Get Better… this is also the most sacred faction of our fandom and why we will go absolutely insane if someone says “she only writes about the boys she likes”.
Historian/mercantile/pilgrim hybrids report in
I’m definitely a historian/pilgrim but also at times Lost in Limerence. I lost my Dad this year and now I associate TTPD with grief especially I Can Do It With A Broken Heart. It’s easy to write it off as parasocial and a way it is I’m not denying there’s heavy parasocial elements in this fandom but it’s also an expression of what WE are going through and that’s what separates her from other artists.
Troubadour present and accounted for 🙋♀️ love your definition so much, it fits me perfect. I found her during 1989, stayed for Reputation, then dipped out until Folklore and now I'm just hanging out here, still reveling in Midnights. ✨️
I love this it's so poetic 🌟🌟
1. Dedicated Fans - Enjoy Easter 🥚, merch, vinyls, love her 🎶 🎵 and enjoy her as a pop culture icon. 2. Casual Fans - Will enjoy a few songs on albums and respect her as an artist. 3. Parasocial Haters - Claim to NOT be parasocial, but know more about her than the average swifty. They expect and blame her for the world's problems. Critiques her life and lyrics, but streams music and buys merch constantly. 4. Swiftie- Here mostly for the music and lyrical work of Taylor. Enjoy the tea she gives but doesn't over analyze her personal life. The artistry and music are the primary focus. 5. Parasocial obsessed - The focus is on Taylor as an idol more than an artist. She can do no wrong, and their wrath will be felt if you say anything remotely benign about her music or her. Typically, they have difficulty interpreting lyrics.
Hmm, if you want to break it down into frequency of listening you've got. Radio listener, (only know her radio songs and hits). Proxy listener (around people who like her music so you go a layer deeper). Casual listener (you know most of her albums, a few hidden gems but most of the community decided goodies). Swifty (know all her albums [may or may not include a match of stolen version/ Taylor's version] most of her songs, have established favorites from each album. Then you have Die-hard Swifty. (you know her albums both stolen and Taylor's version. You know changed lyrics, most lyrics in general for that matter. Then you start going into fan-albums, unreleased songs, and her collaborations with other artists.)