The Internet has evolved greatly in the last few decades, creating social media platforms to communicate on a worldwide scale and providing multiple gateways for any type of art piece. As convenient as it is, the widespread ubiquity of the Internet presents a few problems regarding artistic originality.
Olivia Larson, ’19, who enjoys photography and plays music in marching band, states that the Internet has made it “a lot more difficult to differentiate yourself” since there are already so many existing works that can be easily accessed and observed online. In other words, the Internet has made it, “much more competitive” according to Larson, to create something both appealing and original. Additionally, when looking for online inspiration, one can find themself getting increasingly distracted by looking at someone else’s ideas, rather than taking actual action to create something.
Another pressing concern for online artists is the threat of having it copied and reposted or reblogged without any credit given to them. The Internet has enabled a new form of digital theft, further raising the awareness of plagiarism.
However, it is important to recognize how the Internet has opened the door for inspiration. For example, social media allows people to leave comments and suggestions that can be utilized by the artist as a starting point for creative ventures. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Procreate enable the creation and editing of visual art on a technological scale, further stimulating ideas.
Despite the aforementioned negatives, Larson believes that “overall, the Internet has helped creativity” because it “gives more opportunity to showcase your work and be inspired from people around the world”.
Luna Moreno, ‘19, agrees that the Internet has helped improve creativity, mainly because of its worldwide access and communication of ideas.
Nevertheless, the opinion of whether the web has improved or worsened artistic innovation varies from person to person.