Art in the Age of Instagram

When I first opened Instagram in 2012 and created my first account, my seventh-grade self had no idea what an obsession Instagram would turn into. In all honesty, I remember that I thought Instagram was somewhat dumb at first. Nevertheless, I made an account because everyone I knew was making an account, so naturally I had to have one too. Facebook was becoming outmoded to us middle schoolers, and Instagram was a new place to post updates of what we were doing and who we were with. I didn’t know what to post or how create a good caption—but at that point I didn’t care. 

Now, Instagram is saturated with content from millions of users. It’s almost omnipotent. Grids have become curated galleries, captions are works of literature—and if you don’t have an Instagram, that’s just bizarre. With a big enough following, just like any traditional artist or creative, the artists of Instagram with their gallery style grids, focusing on a specific brand or individual’s life have the power to shape society and culture. 

Instagram and its influencers are not only a way to expand knowledge and promote the more traditional forms of art, but Instagram itself has become its own form of art. Instagram has combined the art of photography and language. Now I know it sounds ridiculous: there are plenty of people that post blurry photos with captions that are solely emojis or something along the lines of “YOLO,” but that’s a part of the art of it too. Just like other forms of more traditional art, there is a spectrum of highs and lows upon which Instagram accounts fall into.

Influencers represent the modern day artists that flood this platform. They shape what we buy, look at, think about, do, etc. Instagram influencers impact culture in a similar way that more traditional artists such as the A-list celebrities, writers, painters, etc. have done in the years leading up to this social media revolution. There is nothing conceptually new; it’s just the platform that’s changed. While I have purchased a product because a celebrity used it or read a specific book because a specific author wrote it, I have done similar things for Instagram influencers. Instagram influencers seem to be the modern tastemakers of society. Just the other day, I purchased a new moisturizer based on the promotion and recommendation by one of my favorite Instagram influencers. My feed is filled with the curated pieces from varying creators of their latest adventure, their morning coffee, or their outfit of the day.

The concepts of these posts are nothing unattainable to the average person with the Instagram app and a camera. However, these influencers who have amassed thousands of followers have managed to separate themselves through their dedication to the perfect polished post for their aesthetic. They have grids that all follow a theme with a color scheme and specific vibe that they go out of their way to make work. These influencers even sell their own presets for photo editing because their followers want to achieve their artistic aesthetic so badly. Their comments are often flooded with people searching for information on where specific articles of clothing are from or what their new favorite products are. 

So, here’s to not feeling ashamed for buying a product due to Instagram, spending time editing a photo, or simply “doing it for the gram.” Instagram is art. Users are capable of being both artists and consumers simply through the nature of the app itself. So, I will continue to pester my friends to take pictures. I will continue to spend way too much time thinking of new captions as I put my editing skills to the tests. I will continue to save photos of influencers and be inspired by their galleries and individual works of art, and I think it’s time for society to give these artists the respect they deserve. 

Lilly Delehanty

Duke Student, pink purveyor and resident expert on surviving and thriving.

Photography by Carlota Guerro