Social media in the art world

Since I’ve started blogging regularly, I’ve had a few surprising comments about the very existence of the blog (and indeed the @Agora_gallery twitter feed and Agora Gallery facebook page). It seems that people don’t necessarily expect fine art to be connected to something like social media. It’s not that they disapprove – indeed, all responses so far have been positive. After all, why would you complain about something that provides a forum for artists to come together, and which makes it easier for art news, information and advice to reach artists?  People love it. It’s just that they hadn’t really considered this as a possibility before.

What makes this interesting is that the connection between art and social media is actually strong, and is increasingly gathering strength. We’re part of a trend that is seeing all forms of art – visual art, orchestras, ballet, and even opera – embrace the new possibilities offered by the new form of media. My favorite story to date is from April of this year, when black-tie audience members of a performance at the Ohio Theatre were encouraged – beforehand, on Twitter – to shout ‘”Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!” in exchange for a future free ticket. And many of those art organizations who have begun using social media have also mentioned the surprise of people who found them online. It seems to stem from a lack of perception of art as part of the real, everyday world.

But the truth is that the promotion of art has always relied, to an extent, on word of mouth. Art museums and galleries do sterling work representing artists they believe in through advertisements, posters, radio broadcasts and the like, and most artists would probably admit that it would be difficult to manage, or to become recognized, without this help.

But the fact remains that much of an artist’s popularity will come from people who hear or see this material, and then mention it to their family, friends, and colleagues. This is one of the reasons that spaces in the centers of the art world are eagerly sought after by artists and art businesses alike; you need to be seen, to get talked about.

That is why social media is a perfect companion to art and for artists. It’s all about talk. Facebook recently announced that their instant messaging service is so popular that people send over a billion messages through it every day, whilst Twitter, a comparative newcomer, has already had an impact on global news stories just through the sheer pressure of its millions of users talking about the issues. Social media is a powerful thing, and moreover, it is fundamentally human. What could be more natural, therefore, than that it should be harnassed to the promotion of art?

Lastly, for all of you who have asked – yes, Agora Gallery has a facebook page. If you’re on facebook, you can become a fan by simply going to the page and clicking ‘become a fan’, to receive regular updates about gallery exhibitions and news and view photos of receptions. It really is as simple as that.

Similarly, yes, we certainly are on Twitter as well! (If you’re not yet familiar with Twitter, it’s a bit like having a free, global online SMS service which is open to everyone who is a member. It’s a great way to share up-to-date information and fleeting thoughts.) Follow @Agora_gallery there to get daily tweets about issues and occurances of interest in the art world.

Update: We’ve just made keeping up to date with Agora Art even easier!

For people who do not commonly read blogs, it is often more convenient to receive updates in their inbox. To do this, click here, enter your email address and the anti-spam confirmation, and once you’ve clicked the link in the confirmation email you’ll receive you’ll be all set!

If you do subscribe to a number of blogs, then it’s probably easier for you to add Agora Art to your usual reader.