Instagram vs. Artworld

Art Basel just posted their annual outlook survey for 2024 where they found 54% of HNW (High Net Worth) collectors were planning to buy art over the next year, and 77% of HNW collectors remained optimistic about the art market’s performance over the next six months.

That might make most artists and art enthusiasts feel pretty good, but if you’re an artist looking to get your work in front of those said collectors or potential buyers it might feel a little different. Artists have to display their work where most of these buyers are looking for it – Instagram.

Every living artist that I know of is on Instagram. If they aren’t, I’ve honestly probably never heard of them. I know that sounds harsh and really irresponsible as an artist, and it is. But that thought also made me stop and think twice for a moment. How in the hell is that possible? Does one platform have a stronghold over this entire industry?

Yes it does. Artists, collectors, and gallery owners all play a part in this change and the numbers don’t lie.

Statistica.com shows that in 2020, a staggering 87 percent of surveyed art buyers claimed to use Instagram to find new artists, whereas only 48 percent of respondents stated the same in 2016.

Almost a decade ago Elena Soboleva from Artsy.com shared a survey that her company conducted with their own collectors on the usage of Instagram. At the time a whopping 55% of them checked Instagram 5 times or more a day for art related content and purchasing of artwork. My assumption is that number has risen in 2024.

It’s no wonder why every single artist has an Instagram handle to showcase their art. Its the obvious clear choice for collectors to view and purchase artwork. It would be a no brainer as an artist to join then, right?

Well, not exactly. It works like this. Collectors want to buy art, they head to Instagram to purchase art so artists in turn have to somehow make their work visible to them by any means necessary. And there in lies the problem.

In order to get eyes on their work, artists are sacrificing part of their art in order to rank higher on Instagram which is dictated by a ton of algorithms. I’m no better and feel shameful admitting that I’m guilty of bending the knee to the overload algorithm. I catch myself thinking, how should I document this work? Should I be recording this? I have to finish this piece and post soon to appease the algorithm god! Will this look “cool” enough if I record this part of the process this way, or that way?

I think that all artists can agree those thoughts change the art process and their artwork in a myriad of ways. So is Instagram making artists and art better or worse? Like art, this argument is subjective. All I know is that the art and its artist are slowly changing because of one social media platform and it’s too late to turn back. Like my father always says with his heavy Mexican accent, “Dats interesting, bery interesting, but essstupid.”