Art for Instagram (2024)
Who is your ideal audience?
In February 2023, I started a one-year self-imposed "artist residency in the real world". I signed out of my personal Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts the same week I signed into Jackson County Public Health's accounts to start my new role as Social Media Coordinator. I came to see social media as one of the most urgent public health issues our generation faces, so I created a finale to the reality TV show that was my Instagram presence. My profile lives on as a piece of public art in the digital world.
Presented here is an abridged version of the final product I created during my "residency": Art for Instagram, or in this case AFI_Abridged.
"I've been thinking about taking a year away from social," I said.
"Oh, wow," he said.
"A year is a long time."
“Yeah, and it would be Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. I’ll keep LinkedIn. I haven’t decided on BeReal yet. And I mean, if I need to sell stuff on Facebook marketplace, that’s one thing. But I’m really serious about not checking my home feeds or direct messages at all.”
“Are you going to define parameters? Like, if someone texted you a link to a TikTok, would you watch it? Like in Safari?”
“Oh, sure. Something like that is more of a real one-to-one social connection. It’s kind of like how I’ll watch TV with you because it’s spending time with you, but I would almost never choose to watch TV if I’m just by myself. I’ve thought about making a written list of official rules, but that seems too rigid.”
“Well, I think you should do it.”
"The more I think about it, the more my resolve grows. It's perfect that it would include all major holidays, everyone’s birthdays, and both of the weddings that I’m in this year. Plus, it gives me time to think about what I want to do with social media…because, like, I could be dramatic and delete all of my accounts right now, but I have a feeling I would regret that later. Honestly, I’m kind of thinking of it as an artist residency. But instead of having to put together this whole application to go to a fancy camp in the woods somewhere, I can just decide to do it right now. No official acceptance letter necessary.”
“I think it would be really good for you,” he said with a smile.
“I think I can do it…but who am I kidding, I’ll definitely need to keep BeReal.”
who am i and what do i know about social media?
My name is Audrey Allen.
I am an artist and a writer and a director and a performer. I grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri—the literal middle of America. When I was a child, my dad built me a stage in the basement of our house. He used plywood and PVC pipe and spray-painted it black and hung up a navy blue shower curtain with gold stars. I directed my brother and various friends and cousins in countless dances, plays, and magic shows over the years.
I have had a public social media presence since 2008, when I was 12 years old.
I have a BFA in Studio Art from Oklahoma State University, where I focused in printmaking and community-engaged art. Since graduating in 2019, I have worked in program planning for an arts nonprofit organization, account management for a digital marketing agency, and social media management for public health.
who is the intended audience?
who is the "you"
in this sentence?
What does it mean to make something "for Instagram"?
Who is Instagram, anyway?
The central component of Art for Instagram is a written "album" that imagines what would happen if I met the personified version of my own Instagram account. At first, there were only two characters in the story: Instagram and me. But the more I wrote and created, the more I became aware of a third character: you.
You are the audience. You are sitting in a digital theater, and I am the performer on stage.
view a sample from "show week"
February 26 - March 3, 2024 was "Show Week" for my Instagram profile. Each day, I posted images and reels that challenged my audience to think differently about social media. It gave me a sense of closure to perform a "series finale" for the reality TV show that was my Instagram account. Presented here is a sample of the sixty images and ten videos I posted during "Show Week".
read a "single from the album"
Just before starting "Show Week," I published www.artforinstagram.com, including the written "album" that imagined questions like: what would happen if I met the personified version of my own Instagram account? What would my personalized Instagram look and sound like? What would we talk about? How would our relationship change as a result? Tap the Polaroid photo to read the seventh of nine scenes that made up Prose for Instagram.
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browse more resources
Links to relevant organizations and further reading are included on the AFI website. The discussion questions and resources provided are inspired by other health marketing toolkits that are intended for people who work in communications or leadership roles, including teachers and mentors.