Taylor Swift: 400 academics analyze the cultural and economic impact of the popular singer

Dozens of experts are coming together these days in Melbourne to participate in “Swiftposium”an international academic forum organized by the university of that Australian city to try to explain, through 400 presentations from a dozen disciplineshow the American singer Taylor Swift became not only a musical icon but a cultural and economic phenomenon of the 21st century whose fame has served to make visible issues such as LGBTQ+ rights or graph the desired rhythm to practice the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Hundreds of academics participate in the “Swiftposium”

As a prelude to that event, the “Swiftposium”the initiative organized by the University of Melbourne that until tomorrow offers presentations to analyze in depth the impact of the pop star with the additional purpose of establishing a critical dialogue with the attendees – many of them members of his legion of fans known as swifties – around its influence on literature, economics and the music industry.

“Taylor Swift has become a cultural icon of extraordinary influence. Swiftposium is a hybrid academic conference for scholars to engage in critical dialogue about Swift’s popularity and its profound implications for a variety of topics including gender, fandom, cultural popular, literature, economics, music industry and more,” describes the university.

The idea of ​​the “Swiftposium” was born in July with a half-joking tweet with just a few dozen “likes.” But when the organizers announced the event months later, backed by seven universities in Australia and New Zealand, it went viral overnight and became the perfect prelude to the shows the singer will give in the Australian city starting on February 16th. Between yesterday and today, dozens of people flocked to Melbourne’s iconic Capitol Theater to hear some of the talks about the megastar.

The symposium hosts an entire panel dedicated to “Swiftonomics”a trend coined to explain his gigantic effect on economies, and which has led many world leaders to beg him to tour their countries. Along these lines, the economic effect of Swift’s tour on cities, urban planning, public transportation, restaurants and hotels was discussed..

Among the presentations that took place these days, those by a mother and daughter duo who read lyrics by the singer referring to the contempt that society shows for the interests of young womens, a track that sparked an adoring reaction from the crowd. And for the political nerds, there was an academic who presented how Australian MPs use Swift to spark empathy with their voters.

The Singaporean academic Aimee-Sophia Limwhich studies how the artist is inspiring the political activism in Southeast Asian countries, She told the BBC that she is a big fan, but often feels disappointed by Swift’s “white, American-centric feminism.”

One of the more outlandish elements to emerge from the Melbourne conference was that academics believed that the rhythms of Their songs could also help in reviving hearts. The Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive” (1977) has been taught for years as a rhythm to follow in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and scholars have now identified Swift songs that hit the correct rhythms per minute and they can better attract younger generations.

“[Swift] “He has somehow become the most divine superstar on the planet, bigger than I thought was possible,” keynote speaker Brittany Spanos, a Rolling Stone reporter who in 2020 taught the first university course on the idol, said at the conference. .