Taylor Swift: Time Named Her 2023’s ‘Person of the Year’

People dubbed Taylor Swift as 2023's "Most Intriguing" person. And today, Time magazine is giving her the high honor of naming her 2023's "Person of the Year." The publication calls her an "extraordinary storyteller" and noted that she redeems herself time and time again. "I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years,” she says in the feature story. "I’ve been given a tiara, then had it taken away." Now at 33 years old, the award-winning singer-songwriter feels like she is experiencing the "breakthrough moment" of her career all over again. "For the first time in my life, I was mentally tough enough to take what comes with that.”

The "I Knew You Were Trouble" singer's cultural, critical, and commercial success this year alone is what landed her Time's Person of the Year title. Time journalist Sam Lansky stated that 2023 was the year the billionaire pop star perfected her craft. He referred to her as the "master storyteller of the modern era." Swift, of course, had an incredibly successful year: from her Eras Tour, to her re-released music, to her concert film. Universities even began studying Swift and her songwriting. Swift knows this time is a peak, but she couldn't be prouder or happier than she's "ever felt." The highly decorated artist adds this is the best place she's been in as an artist. In the article, Swift asked Lansky: "Are you not entertained?"

Getting to this place of harmony with her past took work. Swift explains there is a dramatic irony to the success of her tour. “It’s not lost on me that the two great catalysts for this happening were two horrendous things that happened to me,” Swift says. “The first was getting canceled within an inch of my life and sanity,” she says plainly. “The second was having my life’s work taken away from me by someone who hates me.”

In today’s digital age, celebrity success relies heavily on online popularity. With this in mind, new research has revealed the famous faces who have seen the biggest boom in online fame in 2023. Online casino site ICE36 took at look at this. Taking in data from Google searches, Instagram followers, likes and engagement rates, they determined the celebrities who saw the greatest increase in online popularity in 2023. This group of celebrities consists of a diverse list of athletes, musicians, and actors.

Per Statista, in 2023, over 4.89 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost six billion in 2027. These users aren't tied to a single platform. The average user now spreads their digital footprint across six to seven platforms every month, according to Forbes.

The average individual has about eight social media accounts. In the United States, the average person has seven accounts. In India the number is nearly twelve, while in Japan it nears four. On a global level, the average person spends about 145 minutes on social media. Americans average about two hours and seven minutes daily. To put this into perspective, if the average person maintained this usage over an average life span of 73 years, the end result is an astonishing 5.7 years spent on social media platforms.

As we previously reported, studies have shown time and again that social media has been linked to brain development changes in teenagers. Even the Surgeon General issued a warning of social media's “profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” Despite the possible negative effects of social media, which comes with anything used in excess, celebrities entertain their millions of followers. Whether they are plugging a new project they are working on or just being charismatic, these ten celebrities are the most popular online in 2023.

With a nearly 30 million follower increase on Instagram, the "Bongos" rapper now boasts a whopping 168 million followers on the app. Her amount of Google searches for the year is 26.6 million, which is up 50% from last year. With no shortage of features on other rappers songs, releasing new music, and often sharing her business ventures and appearances, it is no surprise Cardi makes the top ten on the list.

The Wicked star has been a hot topic of conversation in 2023. With 380 million Instagram followers, fans and haters alike have closely followed Grande for a shred of new music. When news of her divorce with Dalton Gomez and the drama surrounding her dating her Wicked co-star, Grande's Google searches in 2023 has reached nearly 64 million, which is up 50% from last year. She also gained almost 50 million new followers this year.

The rising pop star released her sophomore album Guts, and announced her accompanying world tour in 2023. She started teasing new music at the start of the year, and with her 34.6 million Instagram followers, fans are watching the young starlet's next move. Rodrigo's Google searches have also seen a 50% increase, with 23.8 million searches over the year.

The Wednesday star comes in at no. 8, with 40 million Instagram followers, seeing an astounding 371% increase in followers compared to the year prior. Her Google searches may be down 21% compared to 2022, but has still been looked up 219.2 million times in 2023. Her hit Netflix show was released last year, and has been greenlit for a second season.

It is no surprise that Swift is on this list, though we would have thought she'd be at the no. 1 spot with the kind of year she's been having. With 274 million Instagram followers, the "Anti-Hero" singer gained 47.9 million followers in 2023. She has also been Googled 133.1 million times, which is of no change from last year's statistics.

The French professional footballer surpassed the global sensation Taylor Swift with a combined 109 million Instagram followers and 63.7 million Google searches. With the 49% increase and higher engagement rate than Swift's, Mbappé snags the no. 5 spot.

It seems as though the singer and actress is often the topic of conversation. Between the fan division between her and Hailey Bieber, to her reprising her role in season three of Only Murders In The Building, to releasing new music, Gomez's online popularity lands her at fourth place. With 430 million Instagram followers, Gomez gained 83.6 million followers over the last year. She has also been Googled 82.6 million times in 2023, seeing a 50% increase since 2022.

In the top three is the Portuguese football player. Ronaldo has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, and has won the Ballon d'Or award five times. He is the most-followed celebrity on Instagram, with an insane 607 million followers, up by 129.1 million since last year. He is also the second most-Googled celebrity, with 199.4 million searches from across the globe.

The Argentinian footballer has had an almost 20-year career, playing for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Messi boasts an impressive 486 million Instagram followers, with 127.3 million gained in the last year. He also receives more likes per Instagram post than any other celebrity except Taylor Swift, averaging 6.7 million likes.

Brazilian footballer Neymar, whose full name is Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, is arguably the most famous sports star in the world. Known for playing in world-class football clubs, including Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, it’s no wonder he is a fan favorite online. Neymar gained over 35 million followers last year and is the third most-Googled celebrity with 140.9 million searches. Worldwide, Google searches for Neymar increased by 88% in the last year compared to the previous year. This comes alongside the player’s transfer from PSG to the Saudi club Al Hilal on a two-year contract.