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[audio:https://kontrary.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/instagram.mp3|titles=Why Instagram is Art]I love Instagram.
It gives me a great deal of pleasure.
I’m not kidding.
Ryan and I had a big argument about this. He said he felt like a lot of people were on Instagram – including himself – to satiate the human desire to fit in and not be left out. I said it’s because Instagram is art.
Creating is fundamentally part of the human experience. Construction workers report high levels of satisfaction at their jobs (if the project is on time), because they can step back and look and see what they’ve done at the end of the day. And damn, that’s satisfying.
In contrast, a lonely knowledge worker has little to show for herself. Unless you’re a developer, we don’t create much anymore, and we certainly don’t create much with meaning.
But Instagram lets you make art. It’s different, because unlike Facebook or even Flickr where you can mass upload your life, Instagram forces you to make choices, filter, edit. Not all, but most times it makes ugly pretty and pretty ugly. It creates interest and intent.
You make many of the same choices you would in a darkroom. Should you edit the photo? Do you want to crop it? How will you adjust the coloring, the lighting? Do you want to overexpose it? All the principles of art still stand – proportion, balance, rhythm, pattern – you still need those to make a compelling photograph. But Instagram allows you to do so by elevating ordinary life while providing a mechanism to examine life. It accomplishes what street art tried, but never quite achieved: art for the masses.
Instagram helps to define how you see the world, how you move through the world. You begin to realize you have a certain way of seeing and experiencing day-to-day. You develop and refine that. Your collection is there for a reason, to tell a story, a viewpoint, a life.
Art is translating your experience to the world. Instagram is shared experiences. Instagram is art.
It is visceral and short of being there side-by-side with someone it allows you to experience what they experience. This breeds empathy, joy, understanding.
And for those reasons and more, it’s important to note that Instagram’s billion dollar sale to Facebook is not just an investment in a thirty-million person community, but an investment in art. Forget that we may or may not be in a bubble and Instagram has no revenue stream. Forget that everyone thinks Facebook will ruin it. This is a billion investment in our generation’s creative renaissance, plain and simple.
The pictures don’t lie.
28 replies on “Why Instagram is Art”
bravo….:-)
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the post!
First, I love that you and Ryan have “big arguments” about Instagram. That’s awesome/adorable.
I have been wondering why Instagram is so stinking addictive and I think you nailed it. It IS art. I love getting to see how people “edit” their lives for photos. At the same time, I’m amazed at how many people must consider their Starbucks cup a work of art :)
Haha, thanks! I totally agree, I love seeing people’s viewpoints on their lives evolve over time, and seeing what is important to them through their mobile art photos, even if it is Starbucks or beer every other photo, ha. That’s still life and I think it’s really fascinating/beautiful. Thanks for the comment!
Starbucks, beers, and babies :)
Also, I worked at a construction company and I have to attest to the fact that the job satisfaction is high (at least where I was) from the top to the bottom. No drama, everyone was in a good mood most of the time, and for what it’s worth, no one was divorced (that’s what first clued me into the job satisfaction).
There is definitely something to be said about the satisfaction that comes from creating.
I worked at one too! Well, sort of. I worked for an environmental consulting company when I graduated college and we consulted with developers/real estate/etc on how to make their developments more green-friendly. Part of my job was to visit our clients’ construction sites weekly, walk around and talk to the workers to get them to buy into the idea, and make sure they were actually recycling and such. I loved it. It was so much fun.
Ah. I love Instagram too. Seriously couldn’t wait to get an iPhone because of that (pre-Android release). I feel it’s still a way to creatively express yourself and like you said, you’re forced to filter and edit.
It’s less about fitting in. I know a lot of people not interested in art/photography who don’t even have the app, it doesn’t entice them. I’ve always been interested and have multiple cameras just for that reason, that I love to create and see what I see what with my eye. So fun!
I was so surprised about the reaction when Instagram went live on Android! Creating and expressing yourself is so important. I feel like we have less options to do that nowadays, especially as you grow older. Instagram is a great avenue for that.
Absolutely agree. It’s art that depicts how we see our own lives, created on the most intimate of devices.
What’s interesting to me about the Instagram acquisition isn’t the price, but rather, what that means for technology & social. To spend a billion dollars on a service that hasn’t monetized yet (and doesn’t have a clear path to do so) says a lot about how valuable creating and sharing actually are. Appreciate the commentary that doesn’t center solely on the $1 billion pricetag.
Thanks, Anu! I agree, and while normally large pricetags annoy me, this one seemed really interesting for the reasons you outline in your comment. Creating and sharing are super valuable and I think we’re moving towards apps and services that are based on experience, not consumption which is amazing. Love that.
I wasn’t a big fan of Instagram AT ALL! Why because I actually don’t like to follow “everybody else” Of course after it came out on Android I thought I’d give it a go. I’m still NOT an Instagram fan but I believe it has a place in social art media and hopefully if FB does what its supposed to do, and that is Please its users they will keep the Instagram tradition of providing everyone the cabability of getting their “art on”
Ha, what makes you not a fan? Just because everyone else is on it? I never get that argument, honestly. Because you can pick and choose who you follow. Or is it that it’s amateur? That’s what I love because while I have my professional cameras and such as well, I think Instagram provides a great entrance into the art world for people who normally think they don’t belong. Thanks for the comment. I always enjoy hearing different opinions.
You know, the whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking of Pinterest. And I was like, there’s nothing artistic about pinterest in the sense of creating art. You just re-post things you think are nifty! And it wasn’t until I read the comments that I remembered what Instagram was/is. So, I guess that should give some insight into how much attention I’ve been giving this. Additionally, I don’t own a smart phone and most popular apps are geared toward people who do. So I’m definitely not Instagram’s target audience.
So I can’t comment on the artistic portion of Instagram, but I do think it’s interesting that the popularity of something is really subjective. I realized this when I got more into blogging – there are tons of famous bloggers who aren’t well known outside of the blogging arena (even if they have a career doing additional things). Like, I had no idea who Penelope Trunk was until I actively started searching for career advice, and some of her articles popped up.
And I wonder if I’d get Instagram even if I had a smart phone, and probably not. Along the same reasons I wouldn’t use apps like foursquare – some parts of my life are my own, and not meant to be shared with others. Even with art, I like the ability to keep some things I create to myself. Not everything is meant for mass consumption. And I believe that many beautiful things exist, even if no one is around to admire it or tell you how great it is.
Well, don’t knock it until you try it! :) I agree about privacy and mass consumption, and that’s a big reason I think I’m enamored with Instagram – it feels very intimate and meaningful. Plus, it’s just fun! Sometimes I’ll spend many minutes looking at a photo I’ve created after I’m done. I don’t really care if other people like it, I’m just happy to have created it.
I’m obviously not with the programme. I have heard of Instagram but didn’t know what it was about until I read your post. I have a blog and have added the odd photo. There have been times when I wanted to be able to edit my photos before uploading so I’m looking forward to using it. Thanks for the recommendation!
For the record, I also like Tatiana’s comment about Pinterest. I liked it at first but decided that it wasn’t for me – it’s not creative enough for my taste.
Yeah, I didn’t mention Pinterest at all and wasn’t making an argument on whether it was creative or not. :)
Instagram is a mobile app that you can only use if you have an iPhone or Android. It’s not really to edit photos before they go in a blog post, but I suppose you could download the photos and upload them for that reason. If you try it, let me know how you like it!
Thanks for the great perspectives on this. I have a tough time with the definitions and standards of what constitutes art, and I don’t see Instagram photos as art automatically, but I couldn’t agree more about the importance of creativity.
Anything that can promote more creativity is valuable, especially in an era when many US schools have turned away from classes in art, music and other creative outlets. I look forward to more of your posts and perspectives. Thanks again for sharing this.
Cheers — Hunter
I totally agree about the definitions of art. I question many exhibits I see in museums, and you’re right that probably not every photo on Instagram is art :) But I’m glad you understood the gist of what I was trying to get across regarding creativity and shared experiences. I hope there are more apps and services like Instagram in the future, especially as you mention, since so many schools – and our careers, too! – have turned away from art and expression. Innovation can’t occur in monotony!
Great post! Very insightful…
Thanks, Kiersten! Glad you enjoyed it.
Instagram is an outlet for people that think they are “artists” to put some stupid filter on some random, badly composed snapshot and call it a “photograph”.
Boo.
[…] Why Instagram is Art […]
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Good points. I think part of the reason Instagram is so successful is that it is one step closer to creating experiences (and filling that void). The company that can get even closer to that will certainly rock the tech world.
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Thanks, you made me think a bit I hope :). But I do se the point in that medicore photos are transformed to good looking, or fresh. Is Instagram all about presentation and beauty, is it Kitsch?
My two cameras are my iPhone4S and my Pentax K1000. I’m only 26 but the Pentax has been with me for 10 years and I am going to stick by it. What I am excited about, as a recreational film photographer, is, like you said, Instagram’s undeniable influence as a means to unleash our creativity. After so many years of hearing peers scoff at “art” in general (usually because they had no creative outlet), it is fantastic to see it trending as something cool.
On a different point, I have a hard time considering all of Instagram “art” because certain photography is still highly debated as a legitimate form of fine art. Photography is still very utilitarian and used for aesthetic purposes, and that is a philosophical debate about art that goes way beyond the comments section.