Art Practice in the Age of Social Media

Art has always been a medium for expression, but with the rise of social media, it has become more accessible than ever before. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have enabled artists to share their work with an ever-growing audience and to build a following without the need for traditional gatekeepers of artistic success. This democratization of the art world is not without cost and introduced new challenges and opportunities.

Social media has given artists a new level of visibility. Hashtags, filters, soundbites, and other tools have helped artists expand their networks, increasing their exposure beyond the scope of the city in which they live or work. Artists are encouraged to share behind-the-scenes videos of their work, giving their viewers a deeper understanding of their practice. All of this exposure can lead to new opportunities, such as collaborations, commissions, and gallery shows.

With this exposure comes a pressure to perform that can impede on an artists ability to grow personally, outside of the realms of an external audience. The pressure to grow and maintain a social following to stay relevent among current posting trends often makes artists feel the need to create work that is more visually striking or shareable, or that gains more "likes" among their following, all for the sake of gaining more followers. But what is the cost of that following? The constant need for content can be exhausting, leading some artists to feel burn-out or to compromise their vision.

I feel that burn-out. Oftentimes when I am in the studio, my flow is interrupted by the guilt of not recording and sharing my process. Instagram has infiltrated my psyche such that its little voice reminds me at random intervals that I have not posted anything in a while and that my followers must be wondering what I am doing. Sometimes that voice becomes so loud that I will stop what I am doing to set my camera up, arrange my workspace to avoid recording what may appear to be messy, test 3 or 4 videos to make sure I have the angles right, and press record. 9 or 23 minutes later (depending on whether I remembered I was recording) I will press stop on my camera and the video will exist in the land of rarely-seen-again videos. If I had spent the extra hour editing that video down to the perfect length for viewer impression, matched it to the beat of the latest trending song, posted it and waited for the hearts and comments to stream in, the cost of that effort far outweighs the increase in visibility for me; I’ve done the math: it averages out to be 5 new followers per 3 hours of effort, and inevitably 1 lost follower (most likely because I didn’t edit and post the video quickly enough). That cycle happens in some fashion during each of my studio days. I believe it happens to you as well. It certainly happens to Jill Louise Busby, an author I follow on Instagram who shares the below sentiment in this Instagram post.

The compulsion to gain social capital via social media platforms can be debilitating for some yet encourage others to meet the online demands of gaining influencer status. Social media capital has been described as:

the value which is developed by the connections, the reputation, and the influence of an individual or an organization, in the social media environment. [1]

What is the real-world cost of raising idealized capital based on influence and reputation amongst our followers, many of which are people we have never met? For many artists, who have fewer than Instagram’s described "notable amount of followers", and whom do not have the coveted blue verified badge, the cost is high. For others it may not be so. What is the cost to galleries and curators?

Galleries and curators are also affected by the rise of social media in the art world. Artists can now promote their own work and build a following without the need for traditional gatekeepers in the art world. Galleries and curators too must adapt to social media to find new ways to engage with artists and audiences by sharing exhibition images and videos of artwork online.

Like artists, curators can also use social media to share their insights and perspectives on the artwork, giving audiences a deeper understanding of the creative process and the meaning behind the art.

Also, like artists, galleries and curators must find new ways to capture the attention of audiences, and to create experiences that cannot be replicated online. This might involve creating interactive exhibitions that encourage audience participation, or hosting events that bring artists and audiences together in real life. There is the added pressure to create content that is shareable and visually striking. With many artists forgoing gallery commissions and opting to sell directly to their audience, galleries have had to find inventive ways to engage their audience and their artists.

Despite their unique challenges, artists, galleries, and curators will continue to work together and each will play a role in moving the canon forward. Galleries and museums will continue to provide a space for artists to show their work and for audiences to engage with those artists, and curators will continue to help shape the culture around art. We will evolve and adapt to the ever-changing trends of social media, and artists, galleries and curators will remain an important part of this conversation.