[Global Times special correspondent in the United States Meng Han Zheng Ke Global Times reporter Xu Jiatong Global Times special correspondent Dong Ming] 14 Grammy Awards, the world's highest-selling musician, with about 280 million followers on Instagram...since his official deb

[Global Times special correspondent in the United States Meng Han Zheng Ke Global Times reporter Xu Jiatong Global Times special correspondent Dong Ming] 14 Grammy Awards, the world's highest-selling musician, with about 280 million followers on Instagram... Officially debuted in 2006 Since then, the 34-year-old Taylor Swift (nicknamed "Taylor Swift") has already transformed from a country music singer who played and sang on her guitar to a "diva" figure in the global music industry. In other fields, her influence has long transcended her identity as a singer. "Swift Economics" has demonstrated the huge economic benefits brought by her influence. The fact that she posted a single post last year brought 35,000 new voter registrations is enough to demonstrate her charm in influencing the political balance. On March 5, Swift called on fans to vote in the presidential election, which also intensified the discussion on "celebrity politics" in the American media. In fact, "celebrity politics" in the United States is a long-standing phenomenon and a unique political and cultural tradition of the country. However, American public opinion has begun to question this tradition, believing that "the United States needs politicians to govern the country and actors to perform, rather than letting actors govern the country and politicians to perform."

Biden and Trump both enlisted "Taylor Swift" to support the election

Swift was once regarded as "America's sweetheart" when she first became famous. As her influence continued to grow, some commentaries described her as a "musician" Industry pioneers and cultural icons.” In 2014, she announced that she would delete all her songs from the streaming platform due to copyright disputes. She eventually returned to the streaming platform with more favorable terms, setting a precedent for negotiations between artists and streaming services. In 2019, due to an album master copyright dispute with her former employer, Swift chose to "go hard" with capital and re-recorded old albums by herself, triggering public discussions about artists' rights.

In addition, Swift is also an advocate for gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights, and is an outspoken critic of racism, white supremacy, police brutality, sexism, and homophobia. Last year, Swift's "Times Tour" caused a huge sensation in Seattle, USA. The interaction between fans and Swift triggered "an effect equivalent to a 2.3-magnitude earthquake." As one of the people who set this record, Kelly, a 24-year-old programmer from a major manufacturer, is very proud. She told the Global Times reporter: "I cheer for Taylor, not only because of her infectious works, but also because of her Speak for the female community and liberalism." Kelly supports Swift's expression of political stance, "I hope she will make full use of her influence to make young people pay more attention to political and social issues."

Taylor Swift , data picture, picture from US media

And Matt, a farmer living in eastern Washington state, told the Global Times reporter: "I don't know much about young people, but my grandchildren always talk about Taylor, her name It's always in the news." The political leanings of eastern Washington are closer to agricultural-based Republican states such as Idaho and Montana, and many residents are Trump supporters. But Matt is more concerned about the harvest of his farm than politics. Regarding elections, he prefers to listen to what candidates have to say rather than what influential celebrities appeal.

According to Fox News in the United States, Swift, who has appeared on the cover of Time magazine many times and was elected as the "Person of the Year", has been criticized for being apolitical. Some left-wing media have published articles attacking her for not joining the ranks of what they consider "outspoken liberal celebrities", and her public statements on election issues in 2018 "shocked" critics. When the Democratic Senate candidate she supported, Phil Bredesen, lost to Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, Swift said excitedly in a video: "I want to stand on the right side of history, even if Bredesen Dessen didn't win, at least I tried!"

The US "Capitol Hill" reported that Swift's popularity and her willingness to talk about political issues may make her a "key player" in this year's US presidential election ”, this “possible campaign between two old men” may be affected by the most famous 34-year-old actress in the United States.According to the New York Times, U.S. President Joe Biden's campaign team is actively seeking Swift's support to increase enthusiasm for Biden among young voters. Conservative dissatisfaction with Swift is rising because she is considered a liberal and has been critical of Trump in the past.

Conservative outrage has even fueled conspiracy theories. Some on the far right claim the Super Bowl is rigged, and Swift is gaining greater visibility through the Super Bowl with Biden's support. Swift is currently in a relationship with Travis Kelce, a player for the Super Bowl participating team Kansas City Chiefs. There are also conspiracy theorists who believe that Swift's entry into the football circle is "the result of government layout" in order to attract voters to join the Democratic Party and thereby help Biden win the election.

The British "Financial Times" published an article this year saying that finding "Taylor Swift" to support the election is a risky move for Biden. According to the US "Rolling Stone" magazine website, Trump once said privately that no amount of support from popular celebrities can save Biden and that he believes he is "more popular" than Swift. However, shortly after making this statement, Trump posted a post on social media on February 12 detailing the reasons why "Taylor Swift" should support him, saying that he signed the "Music Modernization Act" for music artists in 2018, and Biden Den "did nothing for Taylor" and said he liked Swift's boyfriend. However, when Swift posted a post on social media on March 5 calling on fans to vote in the presidential primary, she did not mention any political party in the post.

In the United States, there are different views on how much role "Taylor Swift" can play in the election. DeLuca, an assistant professor of political science at Yale University, believes her influence on voters will be limited. First, because the public is already familiar with Biden and Trump, it is difficult for Swift to bring new information to these people to change their minds. Second, the public is currently extremely polarized on this issue, and very few people can be persuaded. Swanbeck, executive director of the American Youth Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, and Hayes, policy director, believe that Swift’s influence among young people cannot be underestimated, and that Millennials and Generation Z account for nearly half of American voters. .

The "symbiotic relationship" between celebrities, glamor and politics

"Celebrity politics" refers to the behavior of celebrities using their fame to influence others on political issues or ideologies. In fact, Americans have a tradition of favoring celebrity politics. American celebrities are also keen to participate in politics. Whether they are music, film and television, sports stars or famous hosts, they all have the opportunity to become political celebrities. For example, before Ronald Reagan served as governor of California and then president of the United States, he participated in the filming of many film and television productions. His handsome appearance and personal charm also attracted many supporters. Schwarzenegger, who became the governor of California in 2003, was also a famous actor, director, producer, and athlete, and had filmed many films including "The Terminator." Before he was elected president, in addition to being a real estate tycoon, Trump was better known in the United States as a reality show star.

Cooper Lawrence, author of "Celebrity Rule: The Misguided Agenda of Celebrity Politics in Postmodern Democracy" and American journalist, said that in the history of celebrity politics in the United States, Republican celebrities are usually more willing to directly participate in politics themselves, while Democratic celebrities They are more willing to canvass votes for candidates of their own party. For example, in the 2008 Democratic primaries, Oprah Winfrey, the famous American talk show host, supported Obama, winning about 1 million extra votes for Obama and defeating Hillary Clinton in the party primaries.

The US "Hollywood Report" magazine website cited last year's poll data and said that compared with five years ago, more Americans believe that celebrities can effectively influence the public. This proportion reached 41%, an increase of 17 percentage points from 2018. . Polls in 2021 show that among many famous actors in the United States, 58% of Americans support Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a presidential candidate, and 30% want to see Angelina Jolie run for president. 22% supported Tom Hanks. Poll data from 2020 shows that Generation Z Americans believe that movie star Zendaya and singer Beyoncé are the most trustworthy.

Shen Yang, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, told a reporter from the Global Times that with the development of the Internet, intelligent recommendation algorithms, social media trends, etc. will make the distribution of topics more concentrated. The same is true for people, which means that more and more famous people will The more famous. In addition, there are few taboos on the Internet in the United States, so what people with "loud voices" say will be quickly hyped and amplified, and celebrities will continue to cater to the public's preferences in order to stay popular. This is a process of mutual promotion.

An article published on the website of the American "Vogue" magazine stated: "In the United States, celebrities, glamor and politics have long been symbiotic: politicians need votes, voters need names, and celebrities have fame... In this war, fame is the key." is crucial." A 2021 survey showed that 63% of Americans believe celebrities can become good politicians "as long as they have the right attitude and support staff."

Why is celebrity politics so prevalent in the United States? Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told a reporter from the Global Times that there are many reasons behind the "celebrity politics" in the United States. From a cultural perspective, the core of American culture is individualism, with an atmosphere of "advocating capable people", which allows talented people to fully demonstrate their abilities and amplify their voices in such an environment. From a political perspective, the carnival-style electoral politics in the United States is highly entertaining, and entertainment in American electoral politics is an inherent feature of the country’s political culture. Through their literary and artistic works, many American celebrities can not only satisfy the viewing and entertainment needs of the general public, but also satisfy the needs of politicians for their entertainment functions, and can also satisfy their own pursuit of political prestige. In this process, entertainment politics not only promotes the use of entertainment by politicians, but also promotes the transformation of entertainment figures themselves into political figures.

The US axios news network reported that Trump's victory in 2016 represented a "paradigm shift". He went from being reported by New York tabloids directly to the presidency without any previous political experience. This is undoubtedly a path to the presidency. The location opens up new routes. On the one hand, Lindstad, a professor at the University of Essex in the UK, analyzed that “outsider status” is usually seen as a breakthrough between celebrities and traditional politics. “Now you will see (potential candidates) boasting that they have no professional knowledge, which is very attractive to voters and they can resonate with it.” On the other hand, some media commented: “Determine the outcome of the presidential election. The key factor is not who understands politics better, but who understands the Internet better." Social media plays an increasingly important role in American electoral activities. "By using social media, politicians can expand their influence and get more votes. ".

Frank Bruni, a former reporter for the New York Times and a well-known political and pop culture commentator, believes that in a world where there are fewer and fewer intersections and it is difficult to find common ground, celebrities are one of the few public or common narratives. character of. Sharon Cohen, a lecturer in media psychology at the University of Salford in the UK, also said that repeated contact with people makes us identify with them, so that we feel that we really know them. As a result, celebrities are often considered to "belong to everyone", "even though this may not be the case". The "Fashion" magazine website published an article stating that voters are losing confidence in elected officials, and the behavior of politicians in recent years has also fallen below people's expectations. So it may seem ridiculous to vote for someone with no background in politics, but voters’ logic is “can they (celebrities) really be worse than what we see (election officials)?”

"A sign of the decline of American politics"

When it comes to "Taylor Swift" campaign, many voices in the United States believe that celebrities, as public figures, need to express their stance on some political issues, and that "politicization of entertainment" is necessary. An article published on the website of the Washington University in St. Louis campus stated that celebrities are not just ordinary citizens, they occupy a rare position in society. The words and deeds of celebrities can affect the words and deeds of other citizens, and the statements of celebrities can also increase people's enthusiasm for participating in politics.

However, the American "conservative" website published an article saying that since the 2016 U.S. election, like almost everything in American society, Hollywood has become politicized. Celebrities wore gowns emblazoned with presidential campaign slogans to the Oscars, turning celebrity social media into calls for social justice. "The United States needs politicians to govern the country and actors to perform, rather than asking actors to govern the country and politicians to perform." The article believes that today's TV programs have become a form of "leftists" promoting their agenda through celebrities.

Cass Mudd, professor of international relations at the University of Georgia, believes that celebrity politics is "a sign of the decline of American politics." He believes that as American political parties become increasingly polarized, both parties cater almost exclusively to the most radical segments of their supporters. In the process, the media serves as a megaphone for the most radical politicians, ignoring the dwindling number of moderates who remain. The media wants loud and outspoken politicians from the “opposite camp” and at the same time condemns this polarization and stokes popular interest in political outsiders who can “save” the system, and this is where celebrities step in.

Wang Hao, associate professor at the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, analyzed that the phenomenon of celebrity politics reflects the accelerating decline of American democratic politics. The "post-truth" brought about by the entertainment-oriented political elections, extreme campaign mobilization, sharpening value opposition and the prevalence of conspiracy theories will further shake the confidence of the American people and even the international community in American democratic politics. Jessica Bennett, a contributing editor on the opinion page of The Times, believes that in the early days of social media, people's ability to become famous was a manifestation of democratization. But America’s current influence-seeking culture has spiraled out of control, and the truth has been lost in the process.