The Bots Versus Taylor’s Bops (with Joe Romm and Antonia Romm)

When Taylor Swift Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” dropped, a swarm of internet haters voiced their loud and out-of-left field opinions about it. A couple months after the drop, though, reporting from Rolling Stone revealed that the conversation around Taylor’s album being a problematic flop was driven largely by bots. This tactic, called astroturfing is the same one Taylor’s friend Blake Lively has alleged was used against her by Justin Baldoni. This is particularly pertinent, because “The Life of a Showgirl,” has a track, “Cancelled!” about Lively’s own cancellation. Who was really behind this astroturfing campaign, and what does this situation tell us about the internet and our own susceptibility to influence? 

Joining Tess for an examination of the bot campaign and a close read of the “Cancelled!” lyrics are Joe Romm and Antonia Romm, hosts of the “Decoding Taylor Swift” podcast. 

Read Rolling Stone’s  “Taylor Swift’s Last Album Sparked Bizarre Accusations of Nazism. It Was a Coordinated Attack,” by Miles Klee. 

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Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. 

Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

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