Taylor Swift: Language and Representations blog tasks

Narrative

Go to our Media Magazine archive (issue MM79) and read the feature All Too Well on Taylor Swift and how she controls her own narrative. Answer the following questions: 

1) Why is Taylor Swift re-recording her earlier albums? 
Taylor Swift had to re-record her earlier album as in 2020, 'Scooter' sold her music to a private equity company which was Shamrock Holdings for $300million. 

2) Why did Taylor Swift choose to make the short film 'All Too Well'? 
Taylor Swift chose to make the short film "All Too Well" to create a cinematic accompaniment for her fans, which demonstrates her ability to control her own narrative. She wanted to push her professional creative boundaries for the sake of her art and her storytelling

3) What other examples are provided in the article of Taylor Swift using media to construct her own image? 
Re-recording her albums as "Taylor's Version"
Music videos and different albulms to portray different versions of herself 
Social media - she selects her posts carefully as well as controlling how her fans participate in her posts


Taylor Swift textual analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of Taylor Swift's website and social media. 

1) Go to Taylor Swift's website. What do you notice about the media language choices - text, font, images, page design, links?
The images shows and emphasises Taylor Swift as well as female empowerment, where she also endorses her music by putting some of her songs on the "directed projects" section as well as some links. This reinforces her confidence as it also shows her name as a director. Furthermore, the page designs are positioned to endorse her music as well as her merchandise for her fans due to the idea that "Shop" is at the first section on the navigation. 

2) Now visit her Eras tour microsite. What do you notice about the construction of this site in terms of images and website conventions? 
The construction of this site shows her in different eras, using a gritty, retro filter which reinforces that nostalgic vibe and to also reflect her ability to re-invent herself as an artist, which reinforces Gauntlett's identity. In addition, on one of her images in, she seems vulnerable as she's partly covering her face which could reinforce Barthes's enigma code as well as Mulvey's male gaze. Furthermore, she added social media links to allow audience to interact with her content, offering more exposure (increase viewership).

3) Visit Taylor Swift's Twitter feed. Analyse her use of tweets/posts - are they promoting her music, her tour, or something else? Can you find any that are socially or politically oriented? 
Her posts shows her promoting her music as well as what she has been doing recently. She also tweets for her fans, stating how she's thankful for their support. Also, she uses her voice for political influence, trying to endorse the opposition part. In addition, she tweets about her feminist views and how she supports fellow females through digital-age. 

4) Look at Taylor Swift's Instagram account. What do you notice about the selection and construction of images, reels and posts?  
She uses the same image for her profile picture, emphasising synergy across her social platforms. Also, she uses highlights to promote content for her fans and to also show to her new fans what she had already achieved. In addition, her posts has limited comments, reinforcing how she controls her own management on how her fans participate. Her status is further reinforced through her post, showing her with the Royal family, showing priviledge within society. 

5) Research Taylor Swift across any other social media accounts - e.g. Facebook. Do you notice any differences in how she represents herself on different platforms? Comment on text, images or tone/content.  
On TikTok and YouTube she focuses primarily on music video drops, behind-the-scenes clips and engaging with viral trends. Whereas, on Facebook and X, she focuses on news updates and tour updates. She mainly uses Instagram for tour highlights, major life moments and high concept album aesthetics. 

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