E-Marketing the Arts: The Rise of Social Networking in the Creative Community

In my previous post, I considered two alternative perspectives on the state of the artistic community, offering favorable assessments of the market under generally bleak circumstances. As these entries indicate, patronage of the arts is persevering even in desperate financial times. However, as large scale purchases decrease, auction houses and galleries have found it increasingly difficult to maintain profits. While several institutions have simply been forced into closure, even prominent establishments like Cristie's and Sotheby's have mandated layoffs and budget tightening. With current constraints on traditional art forums, online capabilities are thus become increasingly important in maintaining the industry's viability. Despite attempts by many arts organizations to support an online creative community, the most profitable outlets have proven to be larger sites that cater to a broad demographic. Social networking sites have enabled a growing number of artists to diversify and expand their consumer base, resulting in increased sales even as the global economy worsens. Though many artists have expressed hesitation concerning an online creative presence, tools such as Facebook, Twitter and Second Life are becoming exceedingly helpful in reaching audiences.

Most importantly, profile-based sites such as Facebook have enabled a wide array of artists and institutions to find commercial success. Not only does the site allow established artists to reach wider renown, but also provides aspiring professionals the opportunity to self-promote. Unlike smaller websites such as VisualProgression and ArtMetal that are targeted specifically at creative individuals, social networking has allowed artists to reach diverse audiences at a phenomenal rate. Facebook alone has over 175 million active users, 70% of which live outside the United States. Contrary to public opinion, over half of Facebook subscribers are also outside of college and “the fastest growing demographic is those 35 and older.” As such, Facebook provides artists with a means of reaching both international and experienced buyers – those most likely to patronize the arts. With such astounding statistics, such sites have changed the face of the art market, leveling the playing field for even the most amateur of artists. With the current financial downturn, even larger institutions are exploring the new technology, using event pages in an effort to expand diminished audiences. The Walker Art Center is currently among the museums participating in the Facebook application ArtShare (see above right), a feature which allows users to display exhibited works on personal profile pages.

More recently, Twitter has also gained a following, similarly providing artists with a new marketing platform and allowing for easier and quicker updates. As with Facebook, the social networking site caters to a broad target audience, enabling artists to develop a large customer base and prompt wider recognition. Marketing that once required gallery sponsorship is now readily available for personal use. The growing importance of Twitter in the artistic community is reflected in the many published articles addressing online marketing as well as in its growth rate of 1382% over the last year. Prominent artists such as Yoko Ono, An Xiao and Doc Pop currently use the site along with institutions like the Saatchi Gallery and The Tate. According to Ruth Jamieson of The Guardian, Twitter has "democratised" the art community, providing followers of the site access to a once elite industry. In doing so, the website has proven beneficial to both audiences and artists, introducing users to a vast array of creative individual previously unfamiliar to them. With such beneficial new outlets at artists’ disposal, the use of such sites has become increasingly necessary in maintaining relevance and a competitive edge. As demand increases, failure to engage with these sites is to deny the new reality of the art market, an industry largely reliant on internet sales.

However, the usefulness of social networking extends beyond simply turning profits. Sites such as Second Life have provided artists with a new outlet to exert their creative energy. Within the virtual reality, individuals have managed to maintain steady incomes through the creation and sales of online works. Reflecting the growing importance of Second Life, the New York Times recently published an article featuring eight of the most prominent artists on the site, including Filthy Fluno and AM Radio. While both professional artists in "real life," they only rose to prominence through Second Life marketing. Artists Eva and Franco Mattes have also capitalized on the site's success, using their art to “blur the lines between [the] real and virtual.” Last year, the couple created the “13 Most Beautiful Avatars,” a collection of online creations that were displayed at the Postmasters Gallery in New York, translating Second Life sales into “real life” sales. However, for those interested in a purely online experience, the website is also home to hundreds of galleries, many of which are home to frequent openings and exhibitions (see left). Artists are able to use these opportunities to promote personal websites or sell their digital artworks. Though many of the over 220 galleries on Second Life are struggling, several artists have reached commercial success through the site. Dancoyote Antonelli consistently sells his works for 100,000 Lindens (US$375) and has sold an estimated five million Lindens worth of art (US$18,730.) While most artists opt to sell their works in galleries, the site also holds auctions in which art frequently fetches higher prices from collectors.

Nonetheless, while such online capabilities have repeatedly proven their success, many artists are hesitant to embrace the new technology. Despite the success of Facebook and Twitter among the 50 and older, there is a common misconception that experienced patrons “don’t do social networking.” For an industry largely reliant on older audiences, this has deterred many artists from creating an online presence. Other artists have avoided the sites, feeling the constant updates to be “mundane” and “hyperactive,” detracting from the art itself and becoming a source of “too much distraction.” However, in a time when traditional art forums are struggling, these tools have become exceptionally important for the individual artist and signal a new direction in the art market. While many analysts have declared the “death of art,” social networking sites prove the industry's ability to persevere under difficult circumstances. Even as galleries and auction houses continue to fail, Facebook, Twitter and Second Life are flourishing, providing artists with a direct connection with audiences. In failing to address these new sites, artists are excluding a major source of income and an opportunity to reach a wide audience with minimal effort. To exclude such sites from any marketing strategy is not only to deny one of the most profitable aspects of the art market, but to ignore the desires of an increasingly technologically savvy public. While social networking is often mistakenly viewed as trivial, these large sites have aided in saving the mid-level art market, providing artists with free and global exposure.