Aesthetics defined by computers: The Impact of Algorithms on Art and Design
Throughout history, technology has had a significant impact on the aesthetics of art and design. Notable examples include the post-internet art movement, and more recently the emergence of AI created artworks that bring their own distinct aesthetic qualities.
Algorithms on the internet are a great influence on the world of art and design aesthetics. While it is fascinating and beneficial for artists to have access to an endless stream of inspiration and curiosities, they also have to be approached with caution. The concept of ‘algorithmic culture’ has been used to describe the impact of digital devices on human culture. It draws on Foucault's ‘network of permanent observation’ where attentive behavior in front of all kinds of screens is a part of a continuous process of feedback and adjustment.
Algorithms learn what you like and show you what you like, or a more correct statement: Algorithms learn what they think you like and show you what you think you like. This can lead to a confirmation bias where you fall deeper and deeper into a hole that is hard to break free of. This means you are constantly fed the same information that leads to an echo chamber. An echo chamber that you might not necessarily have chosen to begin with.
We have become accustom to outsourcing the human process of drawing inspiration to the hands of automation. This isn’t necessarily a negative development, it is just important to be aware of it while we browse social media networks as part of our creative processes and what effects it can cause on our art.
Pinterest is a social media website were artists and designers find inspiration and ‘pin’ images that they like. The algorithm identifies pins that are popular among users and promotes them, resulting in viral pins that spread among users and ultimately influence style trends. This ‘sameness’ is a symptom of the algorithmic culture and often results in artists making similar things.
Pinterest is not necessarily for interacting with other people, it is more about you, the user, and your aesthetic needs. This can often result in particular and niche images that you believe that are only for you, when in fact alot of people are being fed these images, even if they seem particular to you. This can be beneficial to some subcultures and communities, but it also creates sort of a blindness.
This is not only limited to Pinterest of course, this is applicable for most social media websites such as ‘suggestions’ on Instagram and the ‘for you’ page on Tik Tok. This is also not limited to the visual arts, we also see this with recommendations on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Taste has never been individualistic. It is always influenced by things around us. Style trends have been around for ages and these just happen to be created by computers. However, as artists, it is crucial to understand what endgoal these platforms have. They are designed to manipulate us and their agenda is usually not in our best interest. We can’t escape the data, but we can develop a good relationship with it with a sense that recognizes what is our personal choice and what are influences.
All in all, I think it is fascinating that computers have the power to influence what we as humans find beautiful. It’s beautiful that we are susceptible to a computers opinion. Symbiosis.
Sources:
Arielli, Emanuele. “Taste and the algorithm” 2018. Studi di estetica, anno XLVI, IV serie. DOI 10.7413/18258646062
Roberge, Jonathan and Robert Seyfert. “What are algorithmic cultures?” 2016.
