Social Media's Value to Art

Social media has become a dominant form of communication and information gathering in the 21st century. Information is delivered and digested at alarmingly fast rates. Few printed newspapers exist in this technology driven time. Does anyone still deliver newspapers anymore? Where are the teens who toss newspapers into front yards early in the mornings before sunrise? People sitting in robes drinking coffee with breakfast while reading the newspaper exists only in memories and movies. Gone are the mornings when the newspaper was coveted by grandmothers for the crossword puzzles as fathers and grandfathers read the sports sections and headline articles. The comic strips found on the back page are floating ashes burned in the fire of innovation. Social media has helped replace a slower more subdued time. Information is accessed in just a few microseconds. Before there was anticipation of receiving or sending a letter in the mail from a loved one or distant family member. Life events told in stories by grandparents or cousins were listened to with anxiousness and quiet. The sound of a grandparent's or family member's voice communicated just as much and was as emotionally powerful as the recanting of a childhood memory or other life event. Those times are gone. Because of social media, privacy, community events, and world events, are treated like fast food in a drive thru. Does social media bring any value to the art world? Social media does have its pros. It exposes art events to a larger number of people and increases the chances of an artist gaining a broader audience. Social media generates interest in art for those who otherwise may not have had an interest in the arts. Social media also exposes unknown artists. Those artists who work in obscurity are given a platform outside that of the collectors or wealthy and are accessible by the everyman. Fans can view more art than ever before without leaving their couch or electronic device. Art is more accessible by more people at younger ages. Anyone who creates a work regardless of craftsmanship may post and become a celebrity without the help of art critics. Interaction with the artwork is lost and so is experiencing the work in its physical space.

Social media does have value to art, but is it worth it?