The Social Impact of Taylor Swift

 by Isobel Firth & Maya Choudhury

Whilst Taylor Swift is one of the most iconic figures of the 21st century she is a lot more than just a singer she has a face that is instantly recognisable all around the world as well as being named Artist of the Decade for the 2010s by the American Music Awards. Her image goes far beyond music.

Swift's work represents many topics such as romance, revenge, escapism, and social development. It shows the power of pop culture to reveal profound insights into our collective human experience. Many people relate to her lyrics, which express her genuine thoughts about everyday occurrences, and can identify with her work as a mirror of their own issues and hardships.

 

Not only does her music cover a plethora of genres and themes it is also the most listened to music on Spotify, she has 109.24 million monthly listeners (that is around 42 million more people than live in the UK). She has twelve Grammys from 46 nominations as well as 14 MTV awards and 111 Guinness World Records ranging from Greatest Seismic Activity at a Music Concert to Youngest Country Entertainer of the Year.

2023 has been one of her best years with her recently being named Time's Person of the Year.  On 17th March she kicked off her Eras Tour in Glendale Arizona,  this tour is set to conclude on the 8th December 2024 in Vancouver Canada. There will be 151 shows on 5 continents.  It is already the highest grossing tour by a female artist of all time and 2nd highest of all times (it’s not even half way through). Her film is the highest grossing Concert Film ever. This year Taylor Swift’s net worth reached $1 Billion. This year she released two re-recorded albums (1989 and Speak Now). 

Not only is she one of the most renowned musicians of the 21st Century, but she is also a social activist she has led many global corporations including: Spotify, Ticketmaster and Apple Music to treat artists who use their platforms better as well as this she has spoken out about sexism, racism and corporate greed. Swift has also done groundbreaking work re-recording her albums raising awareness for intellectual property rights and master.

Taylor Swift has one of the loudest and most influential voices in the world. In 2018 Taylor Swift used a Social Media post to encourage young people to vote in the upcoming midterms and within 48 hours around 64,000 voters aged 18-29 registered to vote. Taylor Swift has reached a level of unprecedented  global influence and success all at the age of 33.