Is Taylor Swift about to help set a record for Super Bowl ratings and overwhelm online discussion around the \u201cBig Game\u201d?<\/p>\n
Based on a research study released today by a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication<\/a> in the School of Communication and Media at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, the continuation of America\u2019s most popular sport meeting the world\u2019s most famous pop star seems destined to dominate the airwaves and social media next weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Super Bowl always brings in a whole new audience because some people just come for the ads and halftime show while attending Super Bowl parties,\u201d said Professor Kelly Whiteside who leads the Sports Communication program in the School of Communication and Media. \u201cBut now you are adding the biggest pop star on the planet, almost guaranteeing this will be the most watched Super Bowl of all time. It will not surprise me if the viewership record (114.12M)<\/a> is broken by more than 10%.\u201d<\/p>\n The study, authored by professors Yi Luo, Jin-A Choi and Bond Benton, backs the theory that a sharp increase is likely.<\/p>\n Data from the study includes:<\/p>\n Data related to conspiracy theories such as Swift being an ally of the Democratic Party, that the NFL playoff games were \u201crigged\u201d to favor Kelce\u2019s Kansas City Chiefs, and that the Swift-Kelce relationship is a product of the \u201cdeep state,\u201d are also examined in the study.<\/p>\n \u201cAdding the \u2018conspiracy theory\u2019 factor to all this is like pouring gasoline on a rating\u2019s fire that was already set to explode,\u201d Luo said. \u201cIt will be fascinating to see how the numbers on and off the field shake out.\u201d Choi stressed that \u201cFrom deepfakes to politics, the \u2018Taylor Swift effect\u2019 is evident in our data. She holds unprecedented influence among Americans and her star power is expected to continue beyond this Super Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n The full study, which can be found here<\/a>, is the 13th from the Center for Strategic Communication, which provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.<\/p>\n\n