Why Taylor Swift is the media’s favorite subject — even when the story isn’t about her

Taylor Swift shows up in stories that may not even remotely involve her, from the Taiwanese presidential election to giant stingrays.

Oh, how quickly the conversation turns to Taylor Swift whenever there’s a lull in the cultural discourse. Swift, one of the biggest American superstars of her time, is continuing her complete domination of our attentions with blockbuster tours, record-breaking album drops, prized appearances at NFL Sunday night match-ups and, of course, the Golden Globes. It’s no wonder that news outlets and companies drop her name into headlines, interviews, branded content and products in an attempt to ride her moment of mega-fame, from Heinz condiments to news stories about stingrays. CNN isn’t immune to Swift fever, either: Data journalist Harry Enten reported late last year on the odds of Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce staying together. But the issue is: Sometimes the stories don’t even tangentially involve the Grammy winner. Shoehorning Swift into stories even when she’s not the subject has become something of a pastime for content creators during her extended run as perhaps the most famous woman on Earth. And even when it rankles those suffering from Swift fatigue, it still gets people talking. Bond Benton, an associate professor in communication and media at Montclair State University, has studied the effect of mentioning Swift in media stories. (That this topic merits academic study is just more testament to its power.) His research so far, he said, shows that “the presence of Swift in any media content will increase visibility of that content.”