Hungry For Content: Visual Artists Challenge in the Information Age

Instagram is great for visual expression. The possibilities for discovering posts that connect to our own interests are almost endless with its 800 million monthly users. Using the search tab, I can get pretty specific with lifestyle products and hobbies I enjoy. A few weeks back I found search results for a variety of different photographs, paintings, and drawings of winter scenery that overwhelmed me (I have a future dream of living in a snow covered log cabin). I scrolled the page, which quickly turned into pages worth of images I was taking in. I would stop at certain images, view the profile of the uploaded work, and after then scrolling through that artist's timeline, I’d go back and continue to scroll looking at each post in quick succession. I ended up even showing my brother a few posts with him holding the phone for 20 seconds, saying “Yeah, that looks really good,” and giving it back with both of us not giving much thought to the amount of work we had just seen. Many of these accounts had owners who probably had spent a lot of time, resources, and effort for me to only take a simple glance at their work and think, "That's cool." With this whole exercise taking only minutes, it made me consider the rate we consume content. We are always moving onto the next thing. Something that is not a revelation, but worthing thinking about. 

       The Information Age is filled with rapid innovation where new technology and media can become outdated in a short span of time. In a Nielsen study conducted in 2016, the average person devotes 10 hours a day to media consumption. That is close to 42% of a 24 hour day taken up by media consumption, and I am sure we can all relate to that statistic. My personal life is a great example of this trend. In one week, I have binged watched The Office, watching all 201 episodes, then went straight to Parks and Recreation without a break. In one day, I have viewed around 20-30 videos in rapid succession with half of my viewing devoted to just the first two to three minutes of the video. In a 45-minute car ride to and from school, I have listened and switched between 10 or so different music artists with myself getting a psychological nagging to move onto another song before the last one has ended. And, with a 5-minute period spent on Pinterest or Instagram, I don’t even know how many images I have passed without much of a glance, and that is sad. Sad for both the artist and the audience.

      Artists in different mediums have had to adapt with the growing presence of digital media to reach a target audience, and visual art is no different; however, I would argue that visual mediums such as traditional painters and artists difficulty in this transition is more prominent. With music and video dominantly used as tools of expression online, art that is strictly visual has a harder time contending with the popular use of music and film. Along with the internet being an affordable and efficient place for creatives to promote their work, being a publisher of content is also easier than it has ever been which makes competition intense. Pair this with the rate of content consumption from audiences and created is an environment where artists are trying to get the attention of anyone willing to view their work (rightfully so) but to an audience taking in information at a fast rate. I am not advocating for everyone to become an art critic or become an art history major so that you can understand that the painting's use of burgundy in the background is actually representative of the current political climate or some other elaborate meaning. I am saying we as consumers should slow down our pace of consumption but also not shy away from the realities of the Information Age. Any field, whether creative or not, has to contend with change and visual art is no different in this respect. We can only try to increase our awareness and strive for some form of moderation in a fast-paced culture. I would recommend the next time you are searching for cat art or whatever fancies you, slow down, and take in the image.
Do you agree or disagree with me? Tell me in the comments! I'd love to have a discussion. 

Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/
https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/health/americans-screen-time-nielsen/index.html