Taylor Time and the Rise of Niche Social Media

by Justine Norton-Kertson

———————————————————————————————————————————

Social media is evolving—again.

A recently leaked email features Elon Musk highlighting the monetary and user growth stagnation plaguing TwiX. Zuckerberg recently announced an end to fact checking and the flooding of Meta with AI generated user accounts. TikTok disappeared, then reappeared, and still has an entirely uncertain future. BlueSky, Discord, and other decentralized social media spaces are experiencing a surge in popularity and (at least in the case of BlueSky) user growth.

Enter Taylor Time, a recently launched social media app created by Moon to Saturn, LLC specifically for Swifties (aka Taylor Swift’s fervent and endlessly creative fanbase). A cross between TikTok and a fan forum, Taylor Time invites users to share video content, connect over shared passions, and immerse themselves in a digital environment designed entirely for a singular fandom. The app offers curated trends, fan challenges, and an algorithm that knows you’re not there for a random cooking hack—you’re there for all things Tay-Tay.

But beyond its Swiftie-based appeal, Taylor Time represents something potentially more significant: the emergence of highly specialized social media platforms designed for specific communities. As public trust in mega-platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (or X, depending on whom you ask) continues to erode, niche platforms like Taylor Time may hold the key to a more authentic, user-centric future.

The Case for Niche Social Media

For years, tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have treated social media as their playgrounds, capitalizing on user data to drive ad revenue, influence thought, and consolidate power. It’s only getting worse and there’s no sign that they’ll slow or reverse course anytime soon. These sprawling platforms promise to connect everyone to everything, but often at the expense of user experience, privacy, and the ability discern fact from fiction. Algorithms prioritize engagement over content quality, sensationalism over truth, and profits over genuine connection.

Enter apps like Taylor Time. By catering to a specific audience, niche platforms foster environments where users can feel seen, heard, and understood. They sidestep the chaos of algorithmic doomscrolling and provide a focused, intentional space for connection. Fans of Taylor Swift aren’t just scrolling through endless random content—they’re participating in a community built entirely around their passionate fandom.

“It’s so refreshing to be able to hop on social media and actually see the content you want, instead of being inundated by what a billionaire or a corporation wants to sell you,” says Deborah, the creator behind the Taylor Swift fan account, The Tortured Puppet (@thetorturedpuppet on Taylor Time, and @torturedpuppetsdept on TikTok). The account features a puppet that looks uncannily like Swift, and performs clips of the popstar’s songs with platform approved Swift audio tracks.

The concept isn’t entirely new. Platforms like Reddit and Tumblr have long provided havens for specialized subcultures. More recently, players like Discord, Mastodon, PixelFed, and BlueSky have made waves by allowing users to create their own servers or algorithms. But Taylor Time signals a new wave in the growing trend toward decentralized social media. By blending video-based social sharing with a tightly defined, niche theme/fandom, it offers a blueprint for how small-scale social media can succeed in the age of social media oligarchs.

A Horror-Centric Social Media Platform?

This shift raises an intriguing question: Should the horror community have its own social media platform? Imagine a video-based app built entirely for horror enthusiasts—a place for fans to share creepy short films and other horror content that won’t get flagged and banned at the first drop of blood, a place discuss the latest indie slashers, swap costume ideas, and create niche trends like #JumpScareChallenge or #FavoriteFinalGirl.

Horror fandom already thrives in digital spaces. TikTok has birthed countless viral horror trends, from users reenacting iconic scares, to dressing up as movie monsters and performing dances, to showcasing their horror-inspired artwork and short films. Platforms like Instagram and YouTube have long been homes for SFX makeup tutorials, ARGs, and spooky storytelling. But these moments are often diluted by the vastness of mainstream platforms. It’s all too easy for truly creative people to get lost in the ocean, sent a drift by an impenetrable algorithm, and relegated the unseen backwaters.

A horror-centric app could streamline this energy, providing fans with a digital “haunted house” designed just for them.

The Challenges of Niche Platforms

Of course, niche platforms face challenges. Without the massive user bases of mainstream social networks, they must find ways to generate revenue without alienating their communities. They also run the risk of becoming echo chambers, with limited diversity of thought or creativity. And, like any digital space, they must guard against exploitation, harassment, and misinformation.

Still, Taylor Time’s arrival signals that there is room—and demand—for alternatives. As frustration with social media child kings grows, smaller, niche audience-driven platforms could represent a viable way forward. For horror fans, the prospect of a dedicated, image and video-based space is both exciting and chilling in all the right ways.

So, is Taylor Time the future of social media? Perhaps not on its own. But it is a step toward a broader trend: reclaiming digital spaces for real communities, untainted by billionaire egos and corporate greed. And if it means more creative spaces for fandoms like horror, that’s a future worth screaming for.