Blurred boundaries: Art in the age of social media
What divides ‘serious’ or high art from ‘popular’ art? And has the line between these become more blurred in the digital era? These questions are asked by Professor Hans Abbing, a practising visual artist and professor of art sociology and economics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In his book The economies of serious and popular art: How they diverged and reunited, Abbing discusses art in the 19th, 20th, and 21st century. He reveals how in our new internet platform economy — with its digitisation, social media, and ‘superstar phenomenon’ — the boundary between serious and popular art has been largely erased. Art is not ‘dead’, but its creation, critique, and reception is changing.
Reflecting over the course of the last century, Professor Hans Abbing from the Netherlands discusses the earlier separation of popular art and what Abbing calls serious art. ‘Combining an economic perspective with sociological and historic insights’, Abbing’s recent book, The economies of serious and popular art: How they diverged and reunited, investigates this separation through analysis of various cultural phenomena, addressing questions such as the issue of exclusivity in the arts, the rise of popular music, and why young people are attracted to working within artistic spheres. Presently, Abbing, together with his colleague Wiratama, is writing a follow-up book with the possible title ‘Artistic content creation and provision in the twenty-first century’.
With specific reference to the chapter, ‘Art in the twenty-first century’, Abbing argues that the symbolic boundary between these two forms of art has become very fuzzy. The active visual artist — and professor at the University of Amsterdam and the Erasmus University of Rotterdam — says this blurring of lines can be attributed to a variety of factors, not least the rise of the internet, social media, and new creative technologies — each of which has watered down the cultural landscape, making recognition between art and not-art a lot trickier. Reflecting on ‘the five main creative arts being painting and sculpture, architecture, music, creative writing, and the performing arts of theatre, ballet and dance’, as it was defined in the 17th century, Abbing explores how the evolution of art has been affected by technological changes and presently in particular the platform economy and hybridisation. He looks further into the fluidity of creative roles and interdisciplinary practice; how modern advancements have prompted the word ‘art’ to be frequently replaced with ‘culture’.
Art in the twenty-first century: different practices
Chapter six of Abbing’s book focuses on art in the 21st century. In his analysis, Abbing contextualises artistic evolution through the lens of four spheres; spheres of consumer-orientated, bohemian, research, and hybrid practices. Each, as their labels would suggest, have unique focuses and practices. For example, the consumer-orientated sphere hones in on the demand of consumers and users. The bohemian sphere differs from the other three. Artists within the sphere that Abbing calls new bohemians are very passionate and often do not eschew low incomes. Most of the new bohemians are self-taught, whereas in the other spheres most artists have visited art schools which now increasingly offer courses in cultural entrepreneurship. This is the sphere Abbing asks us to consider when distinguishing the differences between, on the one hand, serious art (forms of dance, literature, music, theatre, and other disciplines, which in the previous century were considered true art by artworld establishments), and, on the other hand, popular art (previously judged to be just entertainment). Many pop musicians are new bohemians. Taking care of their own business is common practice. They do not judge the latter to be a waste of time.
Digitisation in media
Documenting the evolution of art, Abbing discusses the role that digitisation has had in bringing about the many changes within the arts, particularly in how art is produced, consumed, and critiqued. Not only has the emergence of social media changed how art is perceived, but art forms have diversified with regards to audience experience, engaging them more on an active level rather than exclusively passive. In relation to popular music, digitisation brought along with it exciting artistic innovations. And some serious arts venues now feature innovations such as digital applications and immersive experiences. It is these developments that demonstrate Abbing’s statement on the blurring of lines between serious and popular art.
Digitisation in music production and distribution dates back to the 1970s, when the first digital recordings were produced. Soon after, developments such as digital signalling and upgrades in technology (the CD replacing gramophone records being one prime example) made production both cheaper and superior in quality. Also, personal computers revolutionised music production. Applications and software like Garageband on Mac meant anyone could create music — and the wide adoption of digitisation changed popular music’s sound.
Technological advancements have also elevated mediums like visual art and have established exciting ventures like virtual art galleries. Although these innovations have made art cheaper and more accessible, they do raise questions about the ownership rights of digitally produced art and the audience experience. This also applies to AI. But although famous avatars like those of the singer Edith Piaf and the rapper Tupac Shakur are novel — performing on a live stage surely provides a more exciting experience. A strong argument can be made for the benefits of digitisation when considering an artist’s relationship with the platform economy.
Platform economy and the superstar phenomenon
Abbing takes note of this century’s platform economy (an economy based on digital platforms) and its significant impact on the creative industries where marketing talent is concerned. Affecting the arts and the distribution of artworks, social media platforms, such as Instagram, have allowed artists to showcase their works on a global scale. This is when the argument of popular art trumps that of serious art, as accessibility of these platforms have saturated the cultural landscape, in non-traditional (particularly virtual) spaces.
“Abbing argues that in the digital era, ‘the symbolic boundary between serious and popular art has become very fuzzy.”
It is worth reflecting on artists’ successes and the factors that may impact them to understand this concept better. One aspect is the ‘superstar effect’ — a phenomenon that draws considerable attention to popular artists and away from those with a quieter reputation, causing them to be overlooked. Although art is still swayed by criticism, the emergence of statistics of likes and followers has changed how art is consumed. A generously liked Instagram post may not accurately reflect the art itself, but rather the person who posted it. This is where the concept of the superstar phenomenon is called into question, the worthiness of likes does not necessarily correlate with the affection for the art itself, but rather, the artist.
Audiences are driven by the established names, or winners, that are also promoted by playlisting and by charts — something the 20th century is famous for. For example, The Beatles or composers like Mozart and singers like Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles are so famous worldwide that audiences find common ground with each other, which stimulates conversations and a social commonality. Equally, opinions on popular art reveal the personalities of the audiences discussing them — and offer interesting debates in social circles. As Abbing alludes to, although the platform economy enables audiences to engage with art on a higher level, it partly displaces art from traditional spaces, collecting and showcasing it in new ways — like on the internet.
Social media has allowed artists of all disciplines to showcase their work to users worldwide on various platforms. This is particularly helpful to emerging artists, who can now promote their work to previously unreachable markets, like international ones. Although the number of views (or listens) can indicate the status of an artist, these platforms allow artists to represent themselves. Social media has allowed artists to display their personalities more than ever before. Unlike in the 1960s, when artists relied on interviews in publications like Rolling Stone for publicity, artists can now produce their own media via digital channels to effectively self-promote their art — giving them control over the curation of their image. In turn, the relationship between these platforms becomes incredibly important for lesser-known artists, who need to commit more time and money to the maintenance of their profile and activity.
Hybridisation and culture replacing art
Hybridisation (blending various artistic elements or disciplines) is common in current artistic practice. Over the last few decades, we have seen the establishment of both new and hybrid art forms in mainstream media. Boosted by technological innovations, the visual arts medium is one area that has seen this practice explored, which audiences continue to support. Abbing makes particular reference to the large number of fringe festivals and the popularity of new media, such as video essays on YouTube, which are a testament to new audience appreciation.
“The emergence of social media statistics of likes and followers has changed the way art is produced, consumed, and critiqued.”
Where hybridisation concerns genre and form, hybrid practice comments more on the skills and work of the artists themselves. With expertise in a variety of areas, these artists work across mediums or blend them together in some form. Artist musical collaborations are one such area, which sees a fusion of different genres for a single track, like Pop and Rap. This extends to mediums like live performance, where the inclusion of interdisciplinary elements, from videos to avatars, increasingly elevates art forms to something new. Innovations have not only been embraced by the small theatres and companies but also the large producing houses that feature innovations such as digital applications and exhibits. Since 2016, the National Theatre has produced works with its own Immersive Storytelling Studio and has hosted audiences with experiences alongside live productions in the venue itself.
A perfect example of hybridisation, the blending of genres, although maintaining elements of art forms considered as ‘serious’, diversifies and creates new forms that contribute to the blurring of lines Abbing references in his book.
What’s more is the broader spectrum of where these artworks are presented; many buildings — including the well-known major museums and concert halls — now offer a broad range of art in their programming, appealing to a large, more diverse audience. They can accommodate experiences like film screenings and comedy gigs, sometimes simultaneously, across different spaces. Although art was traditionally confined to art galleries, concert halls, and theatres, many buildings (some of which are supported by local governments) now welcome wider demographics with free public spaces and various establishments like cafés and bookshops. We can be exposed to artworks at many different public places in our local areas. In Athens, classical music is played in the underground stations; the same is seen in stores in the UK and USA.
Reflections
As technology continues to advance, Abbing reflects on the diminishing presence of serious art in this economy. The ways in which we can produce and access art, although brilliant in expanding our cultural experiences, has saturated the markets to a point where traditional consumption grows ever faint. An example of this would be plethora of streaming services that discourage audiences from going to the cinema, which is further impacted by simultaneous or limited theatre releases.
Is there a way of maintaining serious art across practice, production, and presentation in the modern landscape? Although Abbing considers the ‘period of serious art’ to be over, his research allows us to identify the difference between serious and popular art while beginning to understand the various artistic practices behind each form. We can see how the emergence of social media, technological advancements, and hybrid practices have influenced art production, consumption, and its reception — but have also shifted it closer to resembling a culture. In several countries the terms ‘art’ and ‘artists’ and ‘culture’ and ‘creatives’ have become interchangeable. Moreover, we now also speak of tattoo artists and makeup artists — a new phenomenon in Europe.
To clarify, art is not dead. Rather, the ethos behind serious art has evolved so it does not resemble its traditional value. Abbing analyses in detail how the influx of creativity and accessibility through the development of hybrid practices and the platform economy have faded the boundaries between serious and popular art — leaning more toward a culture that embraces entertainment.
Personal Response
Can you explain the ways in which you think ‘serious art’ might continue to evolve, as our society evolves?
In the coming decades, the structure of our society will continue to be hierarchical. At the very top people and their families may come and go, but the composition of the group further down will change little. It is foremost this upper group that did — and does — consume serious art and little popular art. In this way, they also express themselves and their relatively high status. This only works well if serious art — which is not consumed by everybody — continues to exist. With some help from prestigious art education institutes they will see to it that the boundary around their serious art does not disappear altogether. Prestigious art venues may offer not only serious art, but people will know that certain offerings are or are not for them. In spite of well-intended efforts of artworld people to make art consumption more inclusive, at this level informal exclusion will continue.
References
Abbing, H, (2023) The economies of serious and popular art: How they diverged and reunited, 245–323. Springer Nature Switzerland/Palgrave Macmillan. doi.org/10.1007/978–3–031–18648–6
Behind the Research
Hans Abbing is a professor of art sociology and economics at the University of Amsterdam and Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He is a prominent visual artist and respected economist.
Research Objectives
Hans Abbing researches the economies of serious and popular art and how they diverged and reunited.
Cite this Article
Abbing, H, (2024) Blurred boundaries: Art in the age of social media. Research Outreach, 139.
DOI: 10.32907/RO-139–5721365639
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