Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Tribune Content Agency
It is no secret that a lot of what we consume online is often related to influencers or celebrity news. Such does not change our lives in any way, but distracts us from what really matters.
This media consumption has ultimately led to the hyperfixation of celebrities, closing the door to news that is negatively impacting the world. The news is so flooded with celebrity gossip that deadly events take place and go under the radar.
Amidst the recent Super Bowl, there were complaints running around all forms of social media about one thing: the obsession with Taylor Swift.
Swift’s newfound relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce has taken the world by storm, and not in a completely positive way.
Conversations started flooding the Internet and real-life conversation about whether or not Swift would make an appearance at the Super Bowl and whether or not she was allowed to be at the event.
It started with a viral headline reading, “NFL Reportedly Considering Banning Taylor Swift from Super Bowl, ‘We’re Tired of Her’.” This originated from the Esspots website, which labels their work to be “satire.” Yet according to a Forbes article, “An account called SpaceX Fanclub has gotten over 19,000 comments on the fake article, with most people not realizing it’s a joke.”
Regardless of people believing the screenshot of the fake article, there were multiple sides taken in the comment section. There were people defending Swift in living her life, but there were also people claiming to be sick of her as well.
In an article released by The Spectrum, the author notes their personal annoyances with Swift stemming from, “her private jet-related choices and her decision to keep her mouth shut about the crisis in Gaza despite being one of the most prominent media figures in the world.”
This sheds light on an even bigger issue. With Swift’s current relationship with Kelce, attention towards the Super Bowl magnified to new audiences and gained more traction.
Many of her critics have gone out of their way to express their distaste through hate comments and shared frustration regarding the public attention she receives.
What people are not taking the time to do is focus on the public issues that really matter. As The Spectrum article noted, Swift has chosen not to speak on Gaza-related issues. That does not mean we should do the same.
al-Rimal neighborhood in the Gaza Strip The Wall Street Journal
From The Nation, “During the game, watched by well over 100 million people in the United States, Israel launched a bombing raid of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, the most densely populated area on earth. More than 1 million people had fled now-leveled Gaza City to the refugee camps in Rafah and surrounding areas.”
While innocent lives continued to be taken, attention was focused on a game of football and who was in attendance.
Getting caught up in a feeling of impossibility is not hard, especially when we are in the United States and feel like we cannot do anything to help. The American Friends Service Committee provided a list of ways we can offer Gaza support in this time of need.
Even outside of global issues, celebrity obsession can easily get in the way of the trajectory of our own lives and what we spend our free time doing.
Swift is just one example of a celebrity who has a hyperfixation by the media on her. It gets increasingly difficult to scroll online without seeing news about her or some of these other figures.
Spreading hate online takes just as much time as following an obsession over people we do not know. Neither is likely to make an impact; Swift is not going to lose her fanbase or career because people who did not follow her in the first place are tired of seeing her.
Action is always the first step, no matter how small.
We must take it upon ourselves to consume media that is relevant in its world impact and our own lives. Otherwise, tragedies will continue to go by with little notice and little drive for change. If we do not stay informed of the issues around us, we will also be at risk of losing who we are.