Disclaimer: Article contains minor film spoilers.
Internet controversies are the seam that holds our society’s social media together. They can reach millions of people and spark interest in the most unlikely of places. Most recently, the spotlight has been on Elly Conway and the movie adaptation for her book, “Argylle.” If you’ve heard of this, you’ve likely heard that Elly Conway is not a real person, but a pseudonym she used while writing.
Despite this, she has a suspiciously fake social media presence, and a purposeful affiliation with Taylor Swift. Instead of stepping back and looking at this situation for what it likely is, a marketing idea with a large budget combined with the exploitation of Taylor Swift’s overexposure in the media, fans have decided to run with the idea that Taylor Swift has written the story.
In their defense, there are a lot of small details that indicate this could be true. The main character of the movie, also named Elly Conway, is a millennial that has an obsession with cats, and has red hair similar to that of Taylor Swift’s in her past music videos. But other than plot holes and incredibly strange pacing, the movie was obviously meant to be an unexpected hit in the hopes of their marketing team, which failed. The plot is good in the beginning; it shows the story of a writer who accidentally foresees a real spy adventure, but throughout the movie it becomes a melting pot of twists and turns that miss the mark entirely.
Digital Programs Manager at Civics Learning Project and Taylor Swift fan, Abigail Laufman, has a similar view on the subject. “You find out [Taylor] had nothing to do with it, and then you’re asking yourself, did she endorse it?” She shares that, “Taylor Swift tends not to comment on a lot of things, which is understandable, because now that she’s on a world tour, if she spoke out and angered the wrong people, that could put her fans in danger.” The fact is, the world is watching Taylor Swift right now whether people like it or not. “I worry about people promoting Swift … and I worry about her safety, but also the safety of her fans,” Laufman finishes. With Swift’s large platform comes constant profiteering off of her name. It’s the equivalent of reselling clothes online, or using someone else’s idea for personal gain.
Alex Agard, a film enthusiast from Eugene, Oregon, talked about “Argylle” and how a lot of the conspiracies are fan-led. “Taylor Swift is a brand, and that’s something that people will always try to market off of,” she says. The lack of confirmation behind most internet controversies involving huge artists can potentially turn into something bigger. “It’s like a double edged sword, because there’s a lot of things being filtered, and it’s very hard to have a solid opinion on it.” Agard continues, saying, “when someone platforms themselves in a certain way, then there’s more expectations for that person.”
With a huge platform comes a lot of assumptions, and a reliance on that star. A fanbase can make or break an artist’s career, so it’s smart for artists like Taylor Swift to try and protect themselves by not speaking out. However, with a huge platform also comes the ability to make change. It’s always going to be difficult to find someone famous that has the power and intention to change things for the better. Most Taylor Swift fans believe she is that person, which is why they put so much faith in her for almost insignificant things, like the possibility of her writing “Argylle.”
To add, another large problem I had with the movie was the way trends were used as a business tactic. The last thing movies should be about is making money. Especially with social media, and the younger generation exploring the internet for the first time, the art of film is found few and far between. A lot of the things I’ve learned about human life, I’ve learned from watching movies. They are our way of capturing the imagination in vivid and beautiful color, and this has been the case even in the early stages of Hollywood. There’s a reason why Hollywood has become what it is today. Of course, novels can give you that too, but technology is a new way of life that humans have yearned for, that they’re addicted to.
As a Taylor Swift fan, I believe a movie should become popular or well-anticipated because of its brilliance shown in the trailer, or from actors that deserve recognition, rather than whether or not Taylor Swift had anything to do with it. Using someone else’s creative energy to promote a movie that’s lacking in every other area isn’t art, it’s lackadaisical and unethical. People want to see the stories they pictured in their head come to life, they want to live, feel, and breathe them. Movies should be released to share art and passion, and most of all, movies should be created to make people happy.
