The Rise and Fall of Instagram Poetry
Instagram poetry has taken over social media along with the entirety of the poetry community. Many people either love or hate instagram poetry as some believe it has shed light on the dying art form while others claim instagram poetry does not count as poetry. When many think of instagram poetry they automatically think of Rupi Kaur, Tyler Knott Gregson, Cleo Wade, and many more. These are some of the most successful online poets who publish content constantly.
I believe instagram poetry to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise. Instagram poetry is free and easily accessible and has brought light to an art form that was slowly dying. Although the poetry community is constantly evolving due to social media, is instagram poetry considered real poetry?
This is a question that has plagued poetry lovers across the globe. Instagram poetry is real poetry in my eyes because there is no specific rubric when it comes to poetry. Art is subjective and people don’t need credentials to write poetry.
I believe people are too harsh on Instagram poetry due to the stigma surrounding poetry. In schools we are taught outdated poetry such as Shakespeare and Robert Frost. I am an English major who has a beating heart for classic poetry, but classic poetry scares readers away due to the language barrier and oftentimes outdated ideas.
Instagram poetry has redefined modern day poetry and has created a community full of people who love to write. Modern day poetry is more relatable now than ever before because as time is changing so is art. There is a type of purity in instagram poetry that traditional published poetry lacks.
Poetry is something anyone can experiment with and there is something so innocent about publishing poetry online. Instagram poetry that is published for the intent to express oneself is pure. There is an amateur feel to poetry that is published without the idea of having thousands of readers glance at a poetry post.
I become frustrated when I hear others speak about Instagram poetry as if it is not an art form. The only time an art form should be disregarded is when it is created for the wrong reasons. Some instagram poetry is solely created for money which is when social media art becomes muddled.
True artists are usually shut out and disregarded because it is hard to make a profit. True art is when your heart bleeds for the world to see, and you spend all of your time and money creating something that makes you feel. Certain Instagram poets seem to be creating just for profit and that is when art loses its meaning.
The capitalist aspect in the art world will always exist, but with the usage of Instagram it seems like it has become easier for fake artists to profit. I love that people who never thought of themselves as writers begin to dabble in poetry, but when they begin to sell poetry books for over twenty dollars full of one liners I lose hope.
There is an article published by Vice which showcases the experience of a guy who faked his way of being an Instagram poet which can be viewed here. His experiment went surprisingly well and he became popular overnight which is one reason why people discredit Instagram poetry. People think it is easier to become well known for poetry, and with the use of social media it can be seen that way, but that is not always true. There is so much competition online that it is actually becoming harder to be noticed.
So many people are trying to make it big online and while doing so they become so money oriented that the true passion is lost. Art is not art without passion.
I am also so sick of seeing online personalities experimenting with poetry for profit. It is not fair for true struggling artists. Online personalities already have a large following and they publish poetry as a ploy because they are well aware their audience will buy it. Youtubers such as Gabbie Hanna have published her second poetry book which makes the poetry community look like a joke. Her poetry consists of one liners and poems that are just Tweets in poetry form.
Instagram poetry is truly shaping modern day poetry and it is up to us, the millennials and generation z, to hold on to that passion and drive that creates true art. We should stop contributing to the capitalist society because we feel the need to, but rather create because we feel that is the only way to express who we are.
