Can Social Media Be Translated Into Art?

Alison Campbell Rogers wrote an entry on Talent Zoo's "Digital Pivot" blog about how artists are interpreting social media as art. Alison Campbell Rogers is a Media Director and agency owner (and former advice columnist) who is passionate about creating space for her clients to stand out, especially online. Follow her on Twitter.

Art and social media may not seem like a natural match. Let’s face it, no one expects to ever have a tweet hanging in the Museum of Modern Art. However, just as technology has changed the way we write -- from blogging to texting -- technology also has changed the face of art and how we interact with it. It is evolving from the typical canvas-hanging-in-a-museum kind to a new medium and changing how we interact with art on a larger scale.

Social media seems to be a great equalizer. Brands that may not be able to afford exorbitant media rates have the same basic tools at hand to talk to their markets as the big guys. It is making art accessible to the public in the same sense -- democratizing art so that we can all play a part. Art, especially over the last century, has come to be perceived as exclusive, rather than inclusive, with dominance of abstraction and even shock value for critical darlings such as Damien Hirst.

Even in the realm of public art, the public doesn’t often have much of a say or take as much of an interest as the name would imply. In fact, many times these pieces are more controversial than welcome in a community.

Social media has armed certain artists and groups with the needed means to change that. One example is The Hello Wall. It's the work of London’s Wasted Spaces, which creates art using old or abandoned structures, creating beauty and interest in spaces that might otherwise be considered eyesores, and Hellicar & Lewis, an installation-art duo. Using the @thehellowall Twitter account, tweets control geometric shapes that move on the large digital screen. It is meant to empower and put creative responsibility into the hands of the viewers by letting the public control what they see displayed as art.

Twitter-controlled public art shows that art loves social media. Can social media love art back? Certainly. Just as small business enjoys a level playing field and access to audience through savvy social campaigns, the art world is enjoying social’s ability to link the sometimes economically disparate groups that create, promote, display, and buy art.