Taylor Swift: Person of the year?

(Image from iHeartRadioCA)

Everyone’s heard of Taylor Swift. In fact, it’s kind of impossible to not know who she is—she’s literally everywhere. On social media, fans gush about her Eras tour, as her antis critique her excessive usage of private jets. News sites can’t help to report about her newest album, or the newest record she broke. With this much press, both positive and negative, reporting on her at all times, perhaps it was only natural for her to be named the Person of the Year by Time magazine. 

Yet this newest title has sparked a debate echoing far beyond Cornelia Street: is Taylor Swift an appropriate recipient of this title?

In past years, winners of this title have been state leaders and activists—like Barrack Obama and Greta Thunberg—or even billionaires, like Elon Musk, who have had significant impacts on the world (for better of for worse). Swift’s nomination has certainly raised a few eyebrows, as she is neither an activist, scientist or politician but a pop star. While her popularity is undeniable, the question remains: does popularity equate to genuine influence?

Let’s take a step back to observe her achievements, for they are definitely quite impressive. Swift’s shattered records, won Grammys, and even inspired entire college courses. Her Eras tour has been the first to surpass $1 billion in revenue, and has had documented cultural impacts around the globe. Traveling around the world in a 21-month long tour, her concerts have, and will continue to boost local economies. Swift has also been very vocal in her calls for civic engagement, even correlating with a rise in voter registration in the U.S. 

Yet critics argue that these accomplishments, while noteworthy, may not fully align with the spirit of the Time’s magazine of capturing the zeitgeist of the year. Contenders believe that Swift’s noted victories and new records are a continuation of her career and long-standing success rather than a snapshot of her success in 2023. 

More importantly, in a year marked by significant global events, is Swift, a pop star flying on private jets to tour the world for affluent fans, truly fitting to be the person of the year. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the more recent conflicts in the Middle East, the rise of A.I. technologies, or the major labor strikes in Hollywood have had profound impacts on the world that have cost lives, livelihoods and entire countries. Many and more activists, philanthropists and politicians have been involved in these issues in an attempt to minimize the loss of life. 

With the Times skipping over other possible nominees involved in world issues in favor of Taylor Swift, perhaps the Times has made a rather tone deaf choice. Or alternatively, the Times, in choosing Swift, a symbol of luxury (not many can afford her insane ticket prices), over others, has chosen right: representing the acute apathy of the majority of the population, scrolling past posts on Ukraine and Gaza to double tap Swift’s newest rhinestone costumes. 

Ultimately, whether Taylor Swift was the most influential person of 2023 remains subjective. She is a pop diva with many billboard hits, and her impact on popular culture is undeniable. Perhaps, unlike issues of war, poverty and hunger (which have become quite tedious and uninspiring to many) Taylor Swift will “never go out of style.”