Social Media is also Art

1 May

We are forgetting the whole point again. Social media doesn't have to be this tired place where we go just for validation. It is so much more than that—it has always been so much more than that. Social media is art, and it can also be fun.

Social media is notably important for education and keeping us updated with world events. So I follow social media accounts that keep me educated, but the point I want to focus on today is; that I also follow social media accounts that keep me inspired. Being inspired keeps us moving, keeps us creating, and cultivates joy. Social media is kind of like art. When we post we are activating our creativity; What collection of images/videos do we choose? Whether we add a song or not, and what that song is? What colours do we tend to drift towards? Each decision is backed by how we individually see the world. It’s kind of like that psychological idea of how individually we can see colours differently and just assume they are the same (Further reading: The Conversation, 2025). When you post the world gets a piece of you. Some details of how you view the world. The coolest thing is we get to see others' perceptions too. How our friends see the world, how your favourite celebrity does. They have a canvas to create whatever they want. We are lucky enough to witness the artworks they create and choose to share.

You could argue and say it’s not that deep, and you are right. So why can’t it be fun again? The creation of art should be fun. As Elizabeth Gilbert would say, ‘engaging in any creative endeavour should be an enjoyable experience’ (Further Context: Read Big Magic). In early high school, my friends and I would do photoshoots around our neighbourhood. Wearing fun outfits, and playing with locations, and ideas. We had no more than 200 followers on Instagram, but it was fun. We found enjoyment in the creativeness of it all. The captions would have coded messages to our crushes at the time, pathetic I know, but it was still creative nonetheless. Over time my social media became posting what everyone else was posting. Just posting what looked good; whether it was accomplishments, parties, or events. I am not saying you can’t post this stuff, but I am saying what if we added some creativity to it? Once I started to have fun with social media again, it became less about what it looked like, but how it felt.

I guess you could say I went back to my roots. Not dressing up and taking photos around my neighbourhood. Instead bringing back the fun element that has been lost somewhere in growing up. My current vision (open to change) for my Instagram is a digital diary of my twenties. Words that come to mind for the picture are: warmth, a glow, layers, laughter, outside, the sun, the moon, the world, and living. I can distance myself from perfection because it has nothing to do with the vision. You know what does; moments of joy, candidness, aliveness. So that’s what I will be painting. I want social media to be a tool that makes my life better, not worse. I want it to say in the least cringy way possible ‘This is me.’ I know ‘Camp Rock’ is in my head too, but you get the premise), so get on board or get lost, it’s my life that I am creating. Also, I think if the younger generations start to use social media as a creative space. They can let themselves exist more freely, because being perfect isn’t the point. The point is creativity and joy.

Fun and creativity are something that we prioritise less with age and sometimes lose, but don’t lose it. It keeps life magical. Be stubborn, hold onto it so tight that others want to have a strong grip too. You get to create the artwork of your life. Some critics will hate it, some will think you are a genius, and neither matters. How it feels to you is what’s important. You might as well pick up the paintbrush and find joy in it. At the end of day Social Media is a type of Art and you are the Artist. What will you paint?

Social Media is also Art

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