Artists or influencers? Digital self-presentation issues in arts

Abstract

The notion of the presentation of the self-questions the way impressions are managed in any communicative action. Accordingly, social interactions are the representations of a dramaturgy created by the communicators in order to control the perception of the other in a desired direction (Goffmann, 1956). They do not happen by themselves but the goals of the actor involved in this process lead the way it develops. In relation with this, social media accounts function as the scenes of such dramaturgy where users present themselves in accordance with their priorities, interests and emotional needs. In return, the broad visibility and quick diffusion of any action offer dangers as well. Any post conflicting with the values of the audience and/or politically correct ideas may harm the dramaturgy. In other words, the strong feedback mechanism poses challenges to the presentation of the self on digital media. Artists, in specific, usually encounter crisis while using social media. They get lynched on twitter, cancelled on digital streaming platforms and/or face hate speech on Instagram due to their offensive posts. Moreover, their commercial ties with brands limit their personal freedom as well. While promoting the services and products of their clients they become the representations of the brand's values and strategies rather than their own artistic identity. Again, the digital presence designed by the artist gets disrupted. Thus, the dramaturgy planned by the artist experiences discord. In this chapter, the challenges artists face on social media in their journey of digital selfpresentation will be reviewed. The situations favoring being an influencer rather than a free artist will be analyzed. Issues, such as artistic freedom, political correctness, market demands of the influencers, will be discussed in order to develop an insight on the way the artist's self is presented on digital media. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.