The impact of Instagram on pre-digital visual artists

There was a time when art only adorned the walls of palaces, buildings and public spaces. A time when people would pay to gaze upon real sculptures, drawings and paintings. However, the advent of social media brought about a seismic shift in how people discover, experience, share content, news and art. This new form of media allows people from all over the world to be connected and form relationships for personal or business needs. In this sense, the art world has been revolutionized. This study focuses on some of the protagonists of this new world namely traditional visual artists who are experiencing this transition. It aims to capture the approach of some of the visual artists to burgeoning online environment, focusing on artists who were part of the “pre-digital generation”. These artists have a wealth of experience of the traditional channels but they are now having to work within an increasingly digital world. The study also explores the way in which visual artists are becoming more commercial. Nowadays artists need to consider not only their work but their brand image, use marketing tools and at all times they cannot be seen to be diminishing the integrity of their art. It also investigates how traditional visual artists have adapted to a new hyper-connected world, with all its associated demands. Instagram, the most popular social network in the art world, has completely changed the methods of promoting, producing and interacting with artworks. As a result, traditional artists have experienced radical changes in their working lives and methods. Therefore, this research seeks to explore how these changes have affected pre-digital visual artists’ core values. It also attempts to shed light on the infuence of Instagram upon the art world – both economically and culturally - and the changing relationship between artists and their digital audiences.