Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry…Triadic Closure in Action?
Although much has changed in pop culture over the past few years, the long-standing feud between pop celebrities Taylor Swift and Katy Perry has stayed among “hot news” today. News of this dispute first appeared in 2014, when Swift mentioned a pop star nemesis who had attempted to sabotage one of her tours, by hiring her backup dancers from under her. People quickly came to the conclusion that Perry was the person in question, and with a few choice online tweets from Perry, the celebrity feud began.
As the dispute continued, Perry was seen taking action as Swift began denouncing other celebrities. For instance, when Nicki Minaj tweeted about a VMA snub from Swift, criticizing Swift’s unrealistic standards displayed in her music videos, Perry was quick to respond. Shortly after Swift tweeted in response to Minaj, Perry fired back her own counterargument, siding with Minaj. If we consider this in terms of network graphs, we can see a case of triadic closure. Swift and Perry have a negative edge between them, and Perry and Minaj do not have an edge between them. As the edge between Swift and Minaj grows increasingly negative, Perry seizes the chance to form a positive edge between herself and Minaj, therefore forming another “celebrity friend” in the business. This newly formed triangle will have two negative edges and one positive edge, which will be balanced. By taking the initiative, Perry is able to form a stable triangle that is to her own benefit.
Perry takes action later on, both when the Kanye West / Swift drama breaks out, and when the breakup between Calvin Harris and Swift occurs. As things heat up between Swift and other celebrities, Perry quickly takes to Twitter, posting messages that clearly show her supporting the anti-Swift party, thus securing positive edges with these celebrities and helping her own position in the industry. Perry is taking advantage of triadic closure, using it to benefit her own fame and publicity – the positive edges that she takes the chance to secure eventually prove lucrative, as is seen in her newest collaboration with Calvin Harris in the song, “Feels”. Not only did it become a hit immediately, it was also interpreted as a jab at Swift, negatively impacting her publicity.
In conclusion, as Perry amasses a “team Perry” and an “anti-Swift” faction within pop celebrities, we can see that she is taking advantage of the social network amongst celebrities and twisting it to her own advantage, using her own negative edge with Swift to form positive edges with other celebrities, opening opportunities for collaborations and business friendships.
http://www.etonline.com/taylor-swift-vs-katy-perry-complete-timeline-their-feud-and-rumors-theyre-reuniting-mtv-vmas-86002