Within the leadup to Taylor Swift’s newest album, The Tortured Poets Division, on-line stans did what they arguably do greatest: theorize. One Swiftie narrative about TTPD, partly fueled by Swift’s “levels of heartbreak” playlists for Apple Music, speculated that her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn cheated on her. As Mashable’s Elena Cavender summed up, Alwyn turned the “dangerous man” to Swift’s “good man,” a standard thread in her albums.

For months, followers dissected Swift’s actions in movies that amassed hundreds of views. They drummed up an unsubstantiated rumor that Alwyn cheated along with his Conversations with Associates co-star Alison Oliver primarily based on…intercourse scenes within the present (this video has almost a million views). The TikTok search “joe alwyn dishonest concept” ends in a flurry of movies.

The rumor that Alwyn cheated with Conversations with Associates co-star Alison Oliver is not solely unfounded, but additionally turned out to be irrelevant to TTPD. The album is certainly about Swift’s breakup with Alwyn (like that she nonetheless has his location), nevertheless it’s arguably extra about The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, with whom Swift reportedly had a short post-breakup fling.

There are occasional mentions to dishonest on the album (“My husband is dishonest, I wanna kill him” on “Fortnight”; “They mentioned I used to be a cheat, I assume it have to be true” and “All my women acquired their lace and their crimes / And your dishonest husband disappeared” on “Florida!!!”) — nevertheless it’s not a central theme. Nonetheless, the frenzy round Alwyn and Oliver reached such a fever pitch that some Swifties continued to pester Oliver on Instagram after the album got here out. Some Swift followers preserve that Alwyn did cheat.

The “dishonest scandal” is pervasive in movie star tradition, and social media fuels the fireplace. From The Attempt Guys to Scandaval to those Swift-Alwyn rumors, on-line followers change into livid on the considered such betrayal. That is pushed by our societal emotions in the direction of dishonest, sure, but additionally the character of parasocial relationships.

This is sensible on a number of ranges: Dishonest is a transgression, one which normally entails a large number of lies. Our tradition is dominated by monogamy, and infidelity is taken into account one of many worst issues one can do in a relationship. Even with non-mongamy on the rise (and one can nonetheless cheat even when a relationship is non-monogamous), dishonest is taken into account heinous by society at giant. And in the event you suppose your favourite celeb’s companion cheated on them? It is the final word crime.

Did Joe Alwyn cheat on Taylor Swift?

As Mashable’s Cavender and Chase DiBenedetto identified throughout Swift’s Midnights period, the singer is thought for her conspiratorial followers and album Easter eggs. Swift has “taught her followers that there are at all times hidden meanings in every thing she does, and which means they’re at all times theorizing,” mentioned Dr. Georgia Carroll, a sociology PhD who’s studied Swift’s fandom. 

When Swift introduced TTPD, followers realized it will be a breakup album, Carroll continued, so theorizing about reveals was the apparent subsequent step. Whereas Swift did not explicitly encourage hypothesis over why her and Alwyn’s relationship ended, she let narratives develop primarily based on clues she left — like track titles, lyric snippets, and the levels of grief playlist.

“Extra broadly, followers theorize as a result of they — by the character of being a fan — spend a whole lot of time pondering and speaking about issues they like, and ultimately these discussions will spiral out into theories,” Carroll mentioned. “That is true whether or not you are speaking about music, or a TV present, or perhaps a sports activities staff.”

This all goes down on social media. Fairly than being confined to a couple fellow followers you recognize in your group, Swifties have a widespread group on X (previously Twitter), TikTok, and Reddit. 

“There’s the factor of group settlement strengthening your willingness to imagine in a concept,” Carroll mentioned, and even when they know their theories possible aren’t true, they will enjoy “clowning” or being “delulu.” 

Carroll continued, “Social media additionally has the extra factor of encouraging attention-seeking conduct, so folks could also be intentionally hyperbolic within the hopes of getting engagement, and this furthers the snowballing by making a extra widespread buzz.”

The parasocial pull of dishonest scandals

You do not want me to inform you dishonest is incorrect. It could even be thought-about a type of emotional abuse if it is finished with the intent of harming one’s companion, in response to the Nationwide Home Violence Hotline and Love is Respect. An instance is that if somebody cheats on their companion then blames their companion for it; that is a type of emotional abuse.

Folks can cheat on their companions with out rising to the extent of abuse, nonetheless. It may be a sign of an unhealthy relationship, as dishonest breaches belief. (Love is Respect has a relationship spectrum that includes behaviors of wholesome vs. unhealthy vs. abusive relationships).

Infidelity is not a criminal offense underneath regulation, however to stans, it is evil — it is a cause to harass somebody. Within the lead-up of TTPD, Swifties “flooded” Alwyn with hate, and prolonged the hate to Oliver, the rumored “different girl.”

“Dishonest is clearly an act of betrayal, which to a fan dedicated to supporting somebody turns into the final word sin and is sort of taken on as a private assault,” Carroll mentioned. Numerous fandom boils all the way down to supporting your faves, and so while you spend effort and time supposing them, a defensiveness in opposition to mistreatment develops, she continued — even when the mistreatment is barely perceived. 

“It turns into a ‘how dare they’ second, regardless of not really understanding the fact of the scenario,” she continued. Followers suppose that they know Swift — one thing she has inspired over time — so that they really feel betrayed on her behalf.

That is the place the parasocial factor is available in. Swifties do not know the singer and they do not know what actually went down in her previous relationship (from TTPD, it appears like a tragic breakup). So, they make up what they suppose could be true, and social media algorithms are the accelerant. Essentially the most outrageous risk rises to the highest.

Swift has songs that allude that she herself has cheated, with titles like “illicit affairs” (from Folklore) and “Excessive Infidelity” (from Midnights), amongst others from her discography. “Responsible As Sin?” from TTPD is alleged to be about emotional infidelity. To be clear, followers have speculated about this too, however she would not obtain the identical vitriol followers throw to her exes. However in fact she would not, as a result of it isn’t concerning the act itself: It is concerning the act in opposition to their favourite movie star. And if that is not the final word crime, what’s?