For many individuals, especially in the creative field, social media has become a revenue stream and a platform (or suite of platforms) to grow one’s audience. These platforms have in turn helped build the careers of many an obscure artist. Currently, there are over 7 billion YouTube videos viewed, 700 million tweets shared on Twitter and 100 million photos uploaded on Instagram per day. Many of these come from individual content creators who cater well to every niche interest you can imagine. Social media offers a different way (and arguably more effective way) to amplify brands, including personal brands..Often, the individuals with the most engagement are not only consistent in how often they post, but the content of their posts rivals the quality of content found within the traditional media platforms of television, magazine editorials and radio. Social media accounts such as @botswanadesigners on Instagram have done their bit to showcase the work of local budding photographers such as Wenzile Dube and visual artist, Giancarlo LaGuerta, to name a few. As more accounts such as these grow and develop, they may subsequently amplify the voices and works of artists and content creators alike – perhaps more so than current traditional platforms have done..However, as striking and visually captivating as the posts of these individuals are, as Kim Kardashian (a new-age philosopher of our time) has observed, art and content are now placed on the same shopping aisle and shelf of the creative marketplace and being consumed in the same manner. With the lines that separate one from the other being blurred, what differentiates Kim from Wenzile?According to Adobe, “A content creator is someone who creates entertaining or educational material to be expressed through any medium or channel.” This definition is especially relevant looking at how content has evolved in such a short space of time. Aside from aspirational fashion looks and beautiful travel scenery, we have seen the impact content creation can have in regard to providing educational resources. Infographics, placed against the backdrop of eye-catching colours and fonts, provided many of us with information regarding COVID-19 and pressing social and political issues..Larger brands were not exempt from this and many, it appeared, rode on the coattails of smaller content creators when showing support or spreading awareness of current sociopolitical issues.Furthermore, Ann Hardy of MarketingProfs states that, “Good content isn’t about good storytelling. It’s about telling a true story well”. There is usually an end goal to content creation. It drives its audience to believe in a certain storyline, buy into a persona, purchase a product. Thus, content creation has inspired a relatively recent avenue of marketing – a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material, such as photos and videos, that does not always explicitly promote a brand or product. Whether done as an individual or a large organisation, content creation is more to do with world building and storytelling as a way to drive a certain end goal..An artist, on the other hand, has no agreed definition. Ideas of what art should be have changed overtime. Some aspects of art that many can agree on, however, lie in its purpose. Many agree that art is any form of creative expression that seeks to inspire, evoke emotions and thought, and reflect the world and ourselves back to us. As Aristotle said, “The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”, in other words art is not what you see but what you make others see. .As clearly as these definitions seem to separate content creation from art, there are still blurred lines when it comes to individual perception of both. While Kim’s holiday selfies may not be showcased at on the walls of a prestigious gallery anytime soon, I personally believe content such as hers has evoked many thought pieces, conflicting emotions and certainly mirrors back to us the world we currently live in. Many paintings that hang on the walls of heavily guarded galleries, while being aesthetically stunning, have evoked none of this from me personally..Therefore, while content exists as an ingredient to fuel consumerism of a product, a persona, or a brand, art insteadlies in the eyes of the beholder. Content is a means to an end, while art is the end in and of itself. For the individual, what differentiates one from the other is our own interpretation, emotions and understanding that comes from consuming both.I did hope to come to more decisive of a conclusion of the lines that separate a content creator from an artist. However, if nothing else, I hope this article encourages you to dig through mines of the internet, to uncover and support the talent and gems that lie in our borders.
For many individuals, especially in the creative field, social media has become a revenue stream and a platform (or suite of platforms) to grow one’s audience. These platforms have in turn helped build the careers of many an obscure artist. Currently, there are over 7 billion YouTube videos viewed, 700 million tweets shared on Twitter and 100 million photos uploaded on Instagram per day. Many of these come from individual content creators who cater well to every niche interest you can imagine. Social media offers a different way (and arguably more effective way) to amplify brands, including personal brands..Often, the individuals with the most engagement are not only consistent in how often they post, but the content of their posts rivals the quality of content found within the traditional media platforms of television, magazine editorials and radio. Social media accounts such as @botswanadesigners on Instagram have done their bit to showcase the work of local budding photographers such as Wenzile Dube and visual artist, Giancarlo LaGuerta, to name a few. As more accounts such as these grow and develop, they may subsequently amplify the voices and works of artists and content creators alike – perhaps more so than current traditional platforms have done..However, as striking and visually captivating as the posts of these individuals are, as Kim Kardashian (a new-age philosopher of our time) has observed, art and content are now placed on the same shopping aisle and shelf of the creative marketplace and being consumed in the same manner. With the lines that separate one from the other being blurred, what differentiates Kim from Wenzile?According to Adobe, “A content creator is someone who creates entertaining or educational material to be expressed through any medium or channel.” This definition is especially relevant looking at how content has evolved in such a short space of time. Aside from aspirational fashion looks and beautiful travel scenery, we have seen the impact content creation can have in regard to providing educational resources. Infographics, placed against the backdrop of eye-catching colours and fonts, provided many of us with information regarding COVID-19 and pressing social and political issues..Larger brands were not exempt from this and many, it appeared, rode on the coattails of smaller content creators when showing support or spreading awareness of current sociopolitical issues.Furthermore, Ann Hardy of MarketingProfs states that, “Good content isn’t about good storytelling. It’s about telling a true story well”. There is usually an end goal to content creation. It drives its audience to believe in a certain storyline, buy into a persona, purchase a product. Thus, content creation has inspired a relatively recent avenue of marketing – a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material, such as photos and videos, that does not always explicitly promote a brand or product. Whether done as an individual or a large organisation, content creation is more to do with world building and storytelling as a way to drive a certain end goal..An artist, on the other hand, has no agreed definition. Ideas of what art should be have changed overtime. Some aspects of art that many can agree on, however, lie in its purpose. Many agree that art is any form of creative expression that seeks to inspire, evoke emotions and thought, and reflect the world and ourselves back to us. As Aristotle said, “The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”, in other words art is not what you see but what you make others see. .As clearly as these definitions seem to separate content creation from art, there are still blurred lines when it comes to individual perception of both. While Kim’s holiday selfies may not be showcased at on the walls of a prestigious gallery anytime soon, I personally believe content such as hers has evoked many thought pieces, conflicting emotions and certainly mirrors back to us the world we currently live in. Many paintings that hang on the walls of heavily guarded galleries, while being aesthetically stunning, have evoked none of this from me personally..Therefore, while content exists as an ingredient to fuel consumerism of a product, a persona, or a brand, art insteadlies in the eyes of the beholder. Content is a means to an end, while art is the end in and of itself. For the individual, what differentiates one from the other is our own interpretation, emotions and understanding that comes from consuming both.I did hope to come to more decisive of a conclusion of the lines that separate a content creator from an artist. However, if nothing else, I hope this article encourages you to dig through mines of the internet, to uncover and support the talent and gems that lie in our borders.
