Digital Cults (Taylor's Version)

It’s been a long time coming, but…over the weekend, a few of us were lucky enough to attend the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. And it was amazing. Some likened it to a religious experience, while others found it more reminiscent of a scene from Lord of the Flies. The ~3.5 hour stadium concert delivered to 70,000 euphoric fans has been analogized to Beatlemania, but we walked away feeling that we had been inducted into something even more powerful: the cult of Taylor.

We talk about “cults” a lot at Slow… their enablement, leaders, characteristics, and broader social and economic impact. We believe a large and growing portion of our capitalist society is heavily influenced by strong consumer affiliations often (though not always) led by a single individual – put differently, modern day “cults.” Their emergence was enabled by the internet’s transformation from a high friction, technically prohibitive forum with few participants and little content to the most accessible and robust expression of human activity. While of course a tongue-in-cheek descriptor, cults have distinct properties that can be observed in, or have been adapted by, certain social groups today.

There is perhaps no one more topical than Taylor Swift to help illuminate what it means to be a massive cult leader.

Core believers, not just casual fans. For most artists, fandom falls on a spectrum – they have both casual listeners, who add a song or two to a playlist, and fans who know every word to an entire catalog. Taylor has all of the above plus some: she has disciples. For these fans, Taylor is their religion, and their identity is intimately wrapped up in being a Swiftie. Scroll through SwiftTok or SwiftTwitter, and you’ll notice users appending “(Taylor’s Version)” to their name. Her fans have organized coordinated efforts, such as the running competition for the longest ovation after ‘Champagne Problems,’ or the chants inserted in certain songs (they scream “1, 2, 3, let’s go bitch” during ‘Delicate’).

Leaders elevate and bless followers, and mutually reinforce power. This is perhaps Taylor’s most subtle yet powerful mechanism. She rewards her most loyal followers with secret listening sessions at her house for new albums or gifts them coveted floor tickets because of a “bad customer experience.” But beyond her blessing, Taylor strategically reinforces her fans’ roles and importance in the group. Take, for example, what happened at MetLife night 3: Taylor played ‘Clean’ for the second time on tour, breaking her self-imposed rule that she has to play two, different surprise songs at every concert. It was later discovered that the repeated song was performed in response to a fan; a young woman posted a TikTok video that expressed her discontent at missing the song (which she noted was out of key) and suggested that Taylor repeat it at the show she was attending. For the satisfaction of one fan, Taylor broke her rule in front of seventy thousand. If that is not mutually reinforced power, we're not sure what is.

Leaders as (almost) autocrats. Taylor carefully shapes and owns her narrative, sticking to certain talking points in interviews and strategically revealing only specific information (usually intended to promote a new project). To some, her approach can come off as contrived – even calculated – but it’s a deliberate strategy that allows her to exert ultimate control over her reputation. Regardless, she is masterful at deeply and authentically engaging her fans; from her early Tumblr days to her recent TikTok adoption, she has fostered a close relationship with her audience. But, compared to her contemporaries, Taylor maintains an extremely private personal life. As a result, fans know her without knowing anything about her. The leader-follower relationship that emerges is a powerful combination of intrigue, reverence and intense loyalty.

Mechanisms for sharing / onboarding. The most effective cults strike a careful balance between accessibility and exclusivity. Taylor’s music is representative of this delicate duality: her pop party songs appeal to the masses, and her relatively lesser-known, deeper songs strike a chord with her core disciples. Beyond her music, her carefully crafted and placed easter eggs serve as a fun entry point for the Taylor-curious. Once aware, fans start to look for and piece together the deliberate puzzle of cryptic hints weaved into her past and yet-to-be-released music and videos. It’s a game with levels, accessible to all and increasingly rewarding.

Developed hierarchy below the leader. When cult leaders have massive scale, a hierarchy often forms. Sub-leaders, who are experts in specific categories and often assume self-appointed roles, are particularly valuable when there is an overwhelming amount of content or nuance associated with the group. One pertinent example, in the case of Taylor Swift, is the emergence of easter egg experts. Ginnie, @thethriftyswiftie on TikTok, has dedicated her page to dissecting clues in music videos, captions, pictures, and lyrics, theorizing what they might mean for Taylor’s next release or announcement. For members who don't have the time or expertise to do their own excavation work, these experts play an acutely important role.

If digital cults emerged concurrent with the internet, then Taylor Swift was an early adopter. She has been evangelizing her music since she was 14, and with her astronomical success she has only seemed to redouble her efforts. Her work to develop deep audience relationships has yielded extraordinary loyalty. When Taylor re-recorded her music, her followers began exclusively listening to the songs she owns. In Taylor’s ability to universally influence selection among indistinct products there is certainly a lesson for consumer brands vying for market share. And as we consider the digital landscape’s ever-increasing importance, digital cults begin to look less like a fringe subculture and more like a superlative customer acquisition and retention strategy.