How Taylor Swift Concert Photos On Social Media Are As Bad As Parents Sharing Holiday Haul Pics
Some fans will get to go to several of her shows without second thought. Others would be lucky just to see her once.
Brain Friedman / red mango / Nopparat Khokthong / Shutterstock Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated “Eras Tour” has come to an end in the United States for now until October 2024 when she will return for a few bonus shows. For some Swifties, it will be sad for them to see their favorite artist go for a while as she performs internationally.
For others, it will be a relief as their social media feeds will return to their usual algorithms instead of the flood of videos posted by concert-goers singing along from extravagant suites with once-in-a-lifetime stage views, often reminding the less fortunate of what they're missing out on.
Taylor Swift concert photos are comparable to the 'holiday haul' photos parents post, leaving many kids feeling left out.
When the holidays roll around each year, some children and teens often take to social media to share the piles of gifts that they were fortunate enough to receive. An Apple watch, new Air Jordans, and a Michael Kors purse may be just a snippet of their stash.
For others, they are lucky if they are gifted with a new toothbrush or a new pair of socks just to keep their feet warm. Seeing their peers flaunt their endless pile of new gadgets is certainly not easy, both for themselves and their parents.
The constant posts from those who attended the Swift concerts can be perceived similarly by those who worked tirelessly to save up for tickets, spent hours online attempting to score just one of the thousands of seats, only to realize that the prices had reached far beyond their range or the seats had quickly sold out.
After the sale of tickets was originally handled poorly by Ticketmaster, many fans opted to purchase their tickets from scalpers for outrageously high prices. As one man on TikTok put it, "there's currently two economic classes in the country: there are Eras Tour attendees, and then there's peasants."
Tickets were nearly unaffordable for many fans.
Ticket prices vary depending on where your seats are located, which venue the concert is taking place at, and how close to the concert date you purchased them.
But according to Ticket Smarter, the average price to gain entry to a live Taylor Swift performance is $2,318.82 — this total is around the same as a solo traveler spends on a seven-day trip to Disney World. Of course, this does not even include the cost of plane tickets, hotel rooms, and meals some fans may have to drop if they are seeing Swift out of their home state.
Even after fans are forced to shell out big bucks, there is a risk they may be scammed into purchasing fake tickets. One Massachusetts man was forced to pay $21,000 on four last-minute tickets after the original tickets he purchased from the resale site StubHub never arrived, per Fox News.
Some fans that were unable to afford Eras Tour tickets did the next best thing they could think of: sit outside the stadium and listen to the cheers and shouts of other fans who have a clear view and audio of the entire show. Of course, they will later see what they missed out on when they scroll through their social media feeds later and are bombarded with countless videos of fans screaming “Shake It Off!”
In a perfect world, every parent who has dreamed of taking their Swiftie children to see her live would get the opportunity to.
However, it has become clear that many fans who want to jam out within thousands of feet and hundreds of stairs from the pop star must be willing to give up an arm and leg, a luxury that most people are unable to afford.
Like the holiday hauls posted to social media, Taylor Swift concert photos can be "damaging if you come from a family with not as much wealth," Sue Hincks, president of the Girls’ Schools Association and head of Bolton School Girls’ Division in the UK, told The Independent when discussing why she advises against holiday haul posts. "It is really discriminatory."
However, this does not necessarily mean that those who get to go to the concerts should feel that they need to refrain from sharing photos and videos for the sake of those who did not have the chance to.
Some fans stumble across the posts of those who were a part of the action, and dance and sing along with them, sharing their joy as if they were there themselves.
The road to scoring Taylor Swift tickets is not easy for everyone. Even if they are lucky enough to be inside the stadium getting to sing along with her, it may have cost them having to pick up a few extra shifts at work, missing out on time with friends and family, and having to give up some of their other gift dreams.
For them, their place at the Eras Tour was well-deserved and it is clear that Swifties have formed a community with one another, bonding over their love and dedication to the artist. Trading friendship bracelets and FaceTiming their friends and family who could not be at the concert in person are actions that will surely form lasting memories and bonds.
Swift herself also recognizes the efforts her fans make to be at her shows and commends them for it.
“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that if you’re here tonight, there’s a pretty good chance that you went to a considerable amount of effort to be with us tonight,” she addressed the crowd at the very first show kicking off her Eras Tour.
“First of all, let me just say on behalf of me, and every single performer that you see on this stage, all the band all the crew, every single person who has been putting together this tour for years, thank you from the bottom of our hearts to be with us on night one!”
The crowd’s roar says it all. Whether fans got to attend any of the Eras Tour shows or not, they are most likely proud to be a Swiftie!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.