Dec 11, 2025 12:00:00

Study finds that 'Taylor Swift is a Nazi' claims were spread by coordinated bot attacks

by

Eva Rinaldi

When popular singer Taylor Swift released her album ' The Life of a Showgirl ' in October 2025, many people accused the album of promoting far-right ideology. Subsequent investigations revealed that many of these accusations were made by bot-like accounts.

6938f591279bf559ec50cd1c_GUDEA - Taylor Swift _ Anatomy of a Narrative.pdf
(PDF file) https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/69370c45ee6946ee05e9618a/6938f591279bf559ec50cd1c_GUDEA%20-%20Taylor%20Swift%20_%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Narrative.pdf

Coordinated online attack sought to suggest Taylor Swift promoted Nazi ideas, research finds | Taylor Swift | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/10/online-attack-taylor-swift-promoted-nazi-ideas-research

'Taylor Swift Is a Nazi' Claims Were Spurred by a Coordinated Bot Attack, Study Finds
https://gizmodo.com/taylor-swift-is-a-nazi-claims-were-spurred-by-a-coordinated-bot-attack-study-finds-2000697793

'The Life of a Showgirl' has garnered record-breaking views while also sparking a storm of criticism.

For example, some allege that Swift's song 'Wi$h Li$t,' in which she sings 'All I want is to settle down,' implicitly supports the values of President Donald Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. Others allege that the lyrics, in which she sings 'If you have a few kids, the whole neighborhood will look like you,' referring to her fiancé, football player Travis Kelce, have white supremacist overtones.

Others have argued that the lyrics 'I'm not a bad girl, this isn't savage' from 'Eldest Daughter' and 'Onyx nights keep me awake, but now the sky is opalite' from 'Opalite' are racist sarcasm directed at Kelsey's ex-boyfriend, who is black.

There were even claims that a necklace featuring a lightning bolt motif released by Swift was reminiscent of the Nazi SS.

Research firm Gudea examined more than 24,000 posts and 18,000 accounts across 14 social media platforms between October 4th, the album's release date, and October 18th.

The results showed that an estimated 28% of Swift-related discussions during this period were driven by just 3.3% of the total. Additionally, a spike in posts was observed between October 6th and 7th, with 35% of these posts coming from bot-like accounts.

According to Gudea, some accounts were fueling public outrage, which led to Swift's most ardent fans refuting the claims, resulting in the accounts being seen by more people through the algorithm.

'We show that false posts can be transformed into meaningful debates and shape public opinion even when the majority of users do not believe the original claims,' the Gudea researchers wrote.

While the bot's mastermind and purpose remain unclear, researchers found 'significant user overlap between accounts promoting Swift's Nazi theories and accounts engaged in a separate impersonation campaign attacking Swift's former close friend, Blake Lively, who is currently suing actor and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment.'