Introduction
Despite the discussion about how social media may damage one’s standard of living, users of various social media platforms utilize these innovations in their professional or recreational activities. Almost all digital technologies, including computers, smartphones, personal digital assistants, and wearable gadgets, have access to the network, making this phenomenon a form of self-expression. It is possible to note that the segment of creative people encompasses a wide range of individuals that can be engaged in artistic activities, design, visual subjects, music, cinematography, and acting skills. However, it is essential to indicate that the category of creative people is not limited to these spheres since creativity is ubiquitous and it can appear in various life settings. Thus, in order to determine the impact of the Internet and social media on creative people and creativity, it is obligatory to examine both advantages and disadvantages of professional work and hobbies.
Inspiration and Knowledge
Numerous social media platforms began offering various media formats, including pictures, animated images, videos, and audio files. This expanded assistance allows artists and designers to discover innovative thoughts and motivations for their own initiatives. Designers can interact with their colleagues on specialized social media channels to examine material relevant to their interests. Academic institutions and design organizations can share their updates and resources via social media. Due to the prevalence of social networks among students and professionals, instructors are exploring methods to integrate technologies into their courses (Abney et al., 2019). Students, for example, may decide to monitor these institutions on social networking websites since it is simpler to approach them. Furthermore, it allows them to observe all of the materials and projects straight from their social media and internet accounts.
In fact, creative people sufficiently need time and space to let their minds wander to be creative. Excessive use of the Internet and social media does not allow people to reflect and think originally, in an artistic way. Moreover, an additional issue creative people face is anxiety since this feeling can generate comparisons with others. This factor can lead to the creation of a lack of confidence in creative works. The aspect of comparison can also be related to social network algorithms that are not always considered objective. People need to develop the capacity to disconnect in order to be creative again, and have time, space, and freedom to create new ideas and be innovative. In this case, professional support can be demanded to help creative people restart their working activities and reload internal resources.
Feedback and Promotion
Even though there are advantages, as stated above, there are also drawbacks to utilizing social media. In particular, this can happen when many individuals become addicted to it and do not engage in productive activity or time. Although artists anticipate more likes, engagement with followers has little influence on their artistic production (Kang et al., 2019). All social media platforms enable users and creative people to submit artwork and content without regard to the original’s quality, copyright, or ownership. Everyone has the option to express and post designs, ideas, and creative items, even if they are unworthy of others’ attention. As a consequence, excellent work can appear to be lost in comparison with all the other mediocre contributions. However, in specialized platforms, a ranking system can be implemented that empowers other creative people, photographers, or artists to grade or promote the artwork for inclusion on the site. This technique assists in spotlighting the innovative work while concealing inadequate or substandard entries.
When sharing art or design works, it is critical to use the correct social networking platform. Some people, for instance, publish their artworks in order to build a professional presence and expand their job options. Other individuals, on the other hand, utilize these instruments as means of self-expression in which their creativity is principally unbounded. In this situation, the Internet and social media can aid professionals in promoting their job accounts to reach. In contrast, creative and original people, while developing their hobbies and interests, prefer to share their concepts and expect certain feedback.
Creativity Reduction
What concerns other drawbacks and disadvantages related to the use of the Internet and social networks by creative people and the general influence of these technologies on creativity, it is feasible to emphasize diminished originality. The stream of numerous shares, comments, and likes on social networking sites can divert designers’ and artists’ attention away from the actual creative process and thinking. Instead of concentrating on the creation of the artwork, evaluating other people’s posts and artworks occupy time and effort that might be spent on personal projects and skills development. While social networking platforms include a variety of inspiring materials, they should be used in a balanced manner (Xie et al., 2019). Individuals should put more emphasis on their efforts on a range of social networks that assist them in developing design abilities in order to prevent these distractions. At a given particular time, a person’s working memory, which is needed for operational activities, can retain approximately four objects or facts (Kadavy, 2018). Therefore, it is compulsory to control social network use to maintain working memory in a productive manner to increase the effectiveness in developing creative content.
Humans are considered to be full parts of society, and talking with people and learning about their perspectives may help designers and artists actively generate new concepts, improvise, and motivate them to think about the ultimate user or customer. Even though the virtual world allows individuals to connect with others from all over the world, it also hinders them from experiencing the true characteristic of social communication. When two people converse face to face rather than messaging or chat programs, they interact more effectively since they can apply verbal and nonverbal interpersonal communication skills.
At the same time, it is feasible to state that digitalization and social media can potentially become beneficial tools for creative people and their creativity. By disrupting an individual’s daily routine and exposing him to a varied audience, social media can aid the creative process by allowing him to perceive things in new ways. Furthermore, the Internet can aid in the removal of mental barriers and encourage people to laugh more frequently. All of these aspects will contribute to enhancing and promoting overall and professional creativity. Creativity assists in both active and passive communication, as well as provokes increased visibility. It can be emphasized that certain specialists in the field of digital well-being can help creative people in a manner that the negative influence of the Internet on creativity will be diminished and eliminated. In contrast, the potential positive impact of digitalization on creativity, including enhanced audience, communication, and inspiration, will be highlighted.
Time Waste and Pressure
Moreover, the issue of losing the sense of real life can be linked to the question of the lack of physical activity. According to the researchers, performing arts professionals faced a problem of a substantial decrease in physical activity after the beginning of the pandemic (Spiro et al., 2021). More physical exercise and sports activities before the lockdown were linked to better levels of happiness and social connectivity, as well as reduced levels of loneliness and increased productivity (Spiro et al., 2021). The relation of this aspect to the general question of the impact of social networks and the Internet on artists and creative people can be described as the massive transmission from offline to online platforms.
Due to the development of the pandemic and a considerable shift from real performances to remote working activities, artists have to share their content and ideas through the means of Information and Communication Technologies. For example, music businesses and artists that depend on their activity as an aspect of their promotion and audience interaction plans have faced multiple challenges resulting from COVID-19 (Frenneaux & Bennett, 2021). In order to preserve an adequate performance level, they were obliged to devote a significant part of their job or hobby to the virtual environment. Hence, the distant working format provokes a reduction in the number and volume of physical activities. Artists and creative people have to endure a condition of a lack of face-to-face communication and movement, which leads to the probable occurrence of health illnesses and disorders. Since monitoring new updates and constantly interacting with people depletes productivity and creative thinking resource, being seriously connected to social networks results in increased time loss. The access to social networking on mobile devices contributes to this time loss since creative people and artists regularly view their social media accounts.
It is compulsory to underline that the permanent availability of social media and the Internet can cause additional competition between creative people and artists. In this case, it is feasible to anticipate the emergence of extra pressure on original people, which negatively impacts effectiveness and ability to be creative. Furthermore, while it is beneficial to contact people all over the globe and exchange experiences, it is vital to maintain these activities to a minimum so that people can concentrate on creative thinking.
To highlight the perspective of introducing potential recommendations to improve the current status, it can be stated that both self-discipline and professional advice should be implemented. For instance, it is feasible to elaborate specific guidelines for artists and creative people that will include specific definitions of why excessive Internet and social network use can be an adverse option. Moreover, a fully-qualified specialist should support this audience and interact with these individuals to ensure their long-term digital wellness and well-being. In this situation, their productivity, which means the creation of excellent and impressive artworks, and their mental condition will be successfully monitored.
Conclusion
To summarize, to define the influence of the Internet and social media on creative people and creativity, examining both advantages and disadvantages in professional work and hobbies is obligatory. Numerous social media sites allow users and creatives to upload artwork and content regardless of the original’s quality, copyright, or ownership. When it comes to various downsides and disadvantages associated with creative people’s use of the Internet and social networks, as well as the overall impact of these technologies on creativity, it is possible to highlight reduced originality. Artists must convey their material and ideas via the use of information and communication technologies as the epidemic progresses and a significant change from live performances to remote working activities occurs. It should be noted that certain experts in the field of digital well-being can assist creative individuals in reducing and eliminating the harmful effects of the Internet on creativity.
References
Abney, A. K., Cook, L. A., Fox, A. K., & Stevens, J. (2019). Intercollegiate social media education ecosystem. Journal of Marketing Education, 41(3), 254-269. Web.
Frenneaux, R., & Bennett, A. (2021). A new paradigm of engagement for the socially distanced artist. Rock Music Studies, 8(1), 65-75. Web.
Kadavy, D. (2018). Creativity, Fast & Slow. Getting Art Done. Web.
Kang, X., Chen, W., & Kang, J. (2019). Art in the age of social media: Interaction behavior analysis of Instagram art accounts. Informatics, 6(4), p. 52. Web.
Spiro, N., Perkins, R., Kaye, S., Tymoszuk, U., Mason-Bertrand, A., Cossette, I., Glasser, S. & Williamon, A. (2021). The effects of COVID-19 lockdown 1.0 on working patterns, income, and well-being among performing arts professionals in the United Kingdom (April–June 2020). Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 4105. Web.
Xie, J. Q., Rost, D. H., Wang, F. X., Wang, J. L., & Monk, R. L. (2021). The association between excessive social media use and distraction: An eye movement tracking study. Information & Management, 58(2). Web.