Taylor Swift has been a cultural behemoth for years, but in 2024, the so-called “Taylor effect” has become downright all-encompassing.
Last week's Super Bowl, for instance, was the most watched in the history of the American sport, and Swifties, as they are known, have been credited with contributing to the record boost in viewership from last year’s 115 million.
Tuning in not to watch the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, Swifties wanted to see their favourite singer cheer on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce.
But that's just one example of how powerful her fan base has become, as their influence and spending power stretch far beyond traditional fan culture.
Swift's legion is not the only group that has tremendous influence on our current culture.
We highlight the world’s biggest fandoms and the lengths they go to to ensure their hero stays on top:
Swifties, Taylor Swift
Arguably the most powerful fan base in the world right now, Swifties (the word has been trademarked by the US singer) are among the most engaged and devoted.
Swift has been credited with redefining the relationship between celebrities and fans, creating an intimacy (or at the very least a perceived intimacy) between herself and her ever-growing throng of admirers.
By openly mining her private life for song material and using her tours, social media posts and Easter eggs in her music and videos, Swift has created a bond that goes beyond the traditional fan-celebrity relationship.
Calling the fan base “organised and undeniably effective”, Forbes wrote: “Swifties command a deeply active corner of the internet – one that’s not only celebratory but investigative and even conspiratorial in nature.”
Swift herself is well aware of the power of her fan base, galvanising them in her public feuds with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, as well as during her music ownership dispute with Scooter Braun – Swifties attacked each of their social media platforms en masse.
Fans who repurchased her re-recorded albums, sent all four to number one in the US, UK and other countries. Her economy-stimulating tours, coupled with the spending power of her fans has been called “Swiftonomics”.
Interestingly, Swifties have grown with the singer, most notably during her pivot from country music to pop, a move that seems to highlight the fact that they are loyal to Swift as a person, not just as an artist.
Army, BTS
The South Korean boy band may be on hiatus right now as all seven members carry out their mandatory military service, but the fervour and loyalty of their fans shows no sign of abating.
Millions-strong, the Army started amassing beyond South Korean borders on a global scale after BTS became the first all-South Korean act to reach the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 with their hit Dynamite.
As the music industry came to terms with the scope of the new K-pop phenomenon, they also got a taste of the fan base flexing its influential muscles when BTS won the Top Social Artist award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, having garnered more than 300 million votes.
Army, which stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth, has shown that it can mobilise faster than any other fan base, particularly for charity endeavours the band supports.
On June 5, the Black Lives Matter organisation revealed it had received a $1 million donation from BTS and its record label. Twenty-five hours later, following an online campaign, the Army had matched the amount.
Potterheads, Harry Potter
The story of the global Harry Potter fandom is inextricably tied to the internet.
Published in the UK in 1997, and in the US the following year, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone gave rise to the first fandom to actively use the World Wide Web – still in its infancy, having been made available to the public in 1991 – to connect with fans around the world.
Thanks to its universal themes of friendship, loyalty, belonging and sacrifice, the books, and later the films, united millions globally, who took to sites and forums such as mugglenet and The Leaky Cauldron to meet like-minded fans, discuss plot points, share fan art and post fan fiction.
The fandom also gave birth to some of the first fan podcasts, including MuggleCast and PotterCast.
The collective power of the Potter fandom was fuelled in no small way by author JK Rowling who harnessed the power of the internet to engage with, support and boost many fan sites.
One of the biggest demonstrations of Potterhead power came in 2000 when Warner Bros bought the merchandising rights to Harry Potter and began sending out cease-and-desist letters to fans, demanding they close fan sites and delete their fan fiction.
Taken by surprise by the speed at which the community organised and pushed back, the Hollywood studio was forced to backtrack.
“We didn’t know what we had on our hands early on in dealing with Harry Potter [so] we did what we would normally do in the protection of our intellectual property,” Diane Nelson, Warner Bros Family Entertainment’s senior vice president at the time, told Henry Jenkins for his book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. “As soon as we realised we were causing consternation to children or their parents, we stopped it.”
The Beyhive, Beyonce
As one of the most famous and popular women in music, Beyonce has achieved near mythic status as a performer.
Her fan base is called the BeyHive – they call the star “Queen B” – and members are marked by their fierce loyalty and devotion to the Crazy in Love singer.
Despite having pointedly and deliberately withdrawn from the media gaze over the past few years in ways that would previously have been considered unfathomable from a publicity standpoint, Beyonce has not diminished her image nor her fan base.
Her last face-to-face interview was back in 2014, and since then she has conducted and directed all interviews and documentaries herself.
This has had the effect of creating an intimacy with her fans – she gives them details about new music, tours or fashion projects directly via her website and social media.
Over the years, the BeyHive has proven its ability to organise quickly to channel and direct their support both to causes the star extols and to anyone who criticises the singer.
One of the most famous examples of a BeyHive attack was in 2015 when Kid Rock told Rolling Stone he was “flabbergasted” by her success and criticised her music and appearance.
Fans converged on the rapper’s social media, flooding the comments section with their signature bee emojis.
When US rapper and radio show host Trick Daddy said in 2021 that he didn’t “think Beyonce could sing”, her fans headed to Google to leave scathing one-star reviews for his Sunday's Eatery restaurant, temporarily lowering its rating to 2.6.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Griselda
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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Honeymoonish
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Disaster Artist
Director: James Franco
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogan
Four stars
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Dunki
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
