Recently, news abounded about so-called “deepfake” nude photos of Taylor Swift that were shared, among other things, on the social media X and Telegram. The fans raged, X took action and US congressmen called for legislative changes, according to the BBC. Parallel to the artificial intelligence debate surrounding Swift, and after boyfriend Travis Kelce’s American football team Kansas City Chiefs reached the Super Bowl final last Sunday, political conspiracy theories surrounding the couple have also blossomed. SUPER COUPLE: Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift after the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images/AFP According to the AP news agency, these vary from Swift being a pawn in the Pentagon’s alleged psychological game, via her and Kelce being central to a plan to get President Joe Biden re-elected , to the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs victory was fixed in advance. USA expert: – Just nonsense USA expert and Swift fan Sofie Høgestøl knows the recent conspiracy theories surrounding the artist. Conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanatory model that assumes that powerful groups secretly conspire to promote their own, hidden agenda and are behind bad things in the world. Conspiracy theory is a derogatory term that is used to signal that the explanation has logical errors and problematic handling of the facts. The political scientist Michael Barkun divides conspiracy theories into three types: events system theories “super conspiracies” Source: Great Norwegian Lexicon – Firstly, it shows how big an influence Taylor Swift has, which goes far beyond being an artist. And secondly, it shows how divided the US is, says Høgestøl to news. She points out that Swift’s home state of Pennsylvania has played an important role in both of the last presidential elections. It is a state where very small margins have separated the candidates, but where the outcome could be decisive. SWIFTIE: Sofie Høgestøl, lawyer, US expert and Taylor Swift fan. Photo: Ole Kaland / news – It is reasonable to assume that the Biden camp is very interested in getting Swift’s help in reaching young voters, says Høgestøl, but adds: – The rest of the theories are just nonsense. According to the US expert, the belief that various people are actors for the “deep state” runs as a common thread through many of the conspiracy theories. The Pentagon has rejected the claim As early as January 10, news host Jesse Watters said on Fox News that the Pentagon’s department for psychological operations (so-called psyops, journ.anm.) several years ago had suggested making Taylor Swift an assistant. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrine Singh denied that with this statement to Politico: – As far as this conspiracy theory is concerned, we are going to “shake it off”. “Shake It Off” is, as you know, one of Swift’s most famous hits. New wave of theories Last week, after the decisive football match and that the New York Times published a case in which it was mentioned that Biden wants Swift’s support, as he received in 2020, it should have peaked, according to CNN. AWARD NOMINATED: Taylor Swift at the Golden Globes on January 7, where her concert film was nominated but didn’t win. Photo: Mike Blake / Reuters What they call “influential MAGA media profiles”, such as former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, political activist Laura Loomer and right-wing One America News Network (OAN) TV host Alison Steinberg, are among those who have participated in the spread of the theories. According to CNN, Loomer claims, among other things, that Swift is part of the Democrats’ “psychological election interference operation”. – Wild speculation – I wonder who will win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there is a major support campaign in the presidential election from an artificially culturally “hyped up” couple this fall. Just wild speculation here, let’s see how the claim holds up in the next eight months, Ramaswamy wrote on X on Monday. Photo: Screenshot / X NFL associated with Republicans The former presidential candidate’s statements came in response to Jack Posobeic, known for far-right conspiracy theories, who in an interview with Roseanne Barr said he believes the Democratic Party and others in power are preparing to use Swift in the election campaign against Donald Trump. According to some of the theories, the football league NFL is also part of the plot. – Some of the conspiracy theory is perhaps triggered by the fact that American football is closely linked culturally with what the Republican Party has stood for. Swift occupies an arena with many listeners and viewers where the republicans think “That’s our base”, points out Sofie Høgestøl. The great NFL final Super Bowl this Sunday is a major cultural event in the United States, and in 2023 was seen by 113 million people. In comparison, the Eurovision final last year was seen by a total of 162 million. Political and economic influence It is a fact that Taylor Swift has great influence. Høgstøl already stated last autumn to news’s podcast “Arena” that Swift could influence the presidential election in the USA, then on the grounds that she can motivate young people to vote. In September, after the artist shared a call to followers on Instagram Stories to register to vote, the nonprofit Vote.org, which Swift directed followers to, said it had registered more than 35,000 new voters that day, NPR reports. When Swift got together with sports star Kelce, many speculated whether the whole relationship was a PR stunt. Ticket sales for the NFL went up, and with the success of Swift’s tour and concert film in addition, there was talk of “Swiftonomics” – i.e. how the Taylor Swift machinery affects the economy, as described by Al Jazeera, among other things. Swift has long been an international superstar, constantly setting new records. Among other things, she has more album number one spots on Billboard than any other woman in history, according to AP. Spread by influential profiles While it may be easy to dismiss the theories about Swift as nonsense, CNN points out that the profiles who create and spread these theories have great influence in the Republican Party and have millions of followers who look to them for news. – They sound ridiculous because that’s exactly what they are. But they are also among the main sources of information for modern conservatives, and they have financial support from the Republican elite to spread precisely this kind of nonsense, Jared Holt, who researches extremism and disinformation for the think tank Strategic Dialogue, told CNN. Resilient conspiracy theory Høgestøl points out that the proportion of Republicans who believe in the conspiracy theory that Trump won the presidential election in 2020 has remained at around 60-70 per cent, compared to around 30 per cent among those surveyed in total, right up until the last poll last year: – It is perhaps what characterizes the election campaign most right now. That such a large proportion believe in a conspiracy theory about the previous election is new. It testifies to a great fundamental mistrust of the political system and the governing authorities. Then you are out for a drive.
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Taylor Swift is abused in new conspiracy theories – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
