Does Social Media Stifle Creativity

Nhanisi Maphosa
The problem with people today is that we expect a smooth road to success, and we expect our lives to be hassle-free, but the reality is life is difficult. We recurrently deny reality and then expect social media to solve our problems, and it does but there is a catch. We become less innovative and less creative because we repeatedly depend on other people’s ideas. We have forgotten that creativity and innovativeness thrive in hardship. To some extent, social media platforms stifle our creativity and have inadvertently hindered the creative process. Here are some thoughts for your consideration.

Lack of Originality

Creativity is about generating ideas, being innovative, and being original. Social media suffocates that innate spark of originality, spontaneity, and authenticity, which are very crucial to art. People now act the same way as the next person and uniqueness is a rare term.

You’re being creative, but only in the exact way in which others on the platform are being creative, it’s a fully constrained expression.
Elisa Arienti – Artist and co-founder of Dubai-based fashion brand, La Come Di. 

Hence with social media people just can’t think outside the box.

Time Consciousness

Creativity is about generating ideas, being innovative, and being original. Social media suffocates that innate spark of originality, spontaneity, and authenticity, which are very crucial to art. People now act the same way as the next person and uniqueness is a rare term.

Unnecessary information overload

With the overuse of social media, creatives end up consuming too much that could do too little for them causing unnecessary information overload. The fear of missing out also results in information overload which keeps people returning to social media over and over again. Impressive innovation and expressiveness need them to be smart about the things they consume so that they get the most out of their creative energy and time.

Unnecessary information overload

With the overuse of social media, creatives end up consuming too much that could do too little for them causing unnecessary information overload. The fear of missing out also results in information overload which keeps people returning to social media over and over again. Impressive innovation and expressiveness need them to be smart about the things they consume so that they get the most out of their creative energy and time.

Low curiosity levels

High levels of well-being are demonstrated by increased curiosity and creativity hence eating unhealthy can block a person from being inspired to create. 

Artists experience detrimental physical and mental health repercussions due to social media overuse. Social media takes so much time that creatives forget to take care of themselves; they lose track of time, forget to exercise, and settle for instant and unhealthy foods. As a result, it affects their health mentally and physically.

False sense of identity

Young creatives can now be prematurely lulled into a false sense of creative identity and success by the number of likes and followers on their social media networks. This premature creative identity is the biggest threat to their independence by subconsciously undermining their individuality and re-routing their collective attention away from their interests and towards the mainstream. Creatives are no longer taking their time to develop their passion, their craft, or their expertise mainly because PR companies, talent agencies, and art galleries are seeking out ‘artistic’ talent based on follower count and not on the independent merits of a person’s work.

Uncomfortable competition

Getting overly exposed to social media heightens levels of perceived competition. Creatives start feeling a little uncomfortable when they discover they are competing with thousands of creatives alike. When exposed to people better than them they start questioning their skills, creativity, and capacity.

You can’t create lasting art if you’re heavily involved in social media. 
John Mayer – Pop Artist

Those who decide to remain offline make better art than those who remain online because ideas have to gather.

False Inspiration

Quality control is quite challenging when it comes to social media platforms. All social networks allow users to upload artwork without any restrictions on the quality and the ownership of the original artwork. Information spreads quickly including false and inaccurate information which might corrupt creativity. Similarly, the good work sometimes gets lost among all the other unqualified artwork and creatives get falsely inspired.

Disconnected from reality

Social media use disconnects people from reality. Although the digital world allows you to meet with people from different countries, it prevents the real meaning of social communication. Human brains communicate better when two people talk face-to-face rather than using texting or chat applications. By choosing applications over real-life, creators base their entire artistic universe within the confines of an intensely curated reality that is built on advertising algorithms that decide what they see.

For creatives, it’s important to ask yourself if social media supports or hinders your creative flow. Are you allowing yourself to create? Are you taking time to develop your skill? Do you from time to time ask yourself if a trick, design or innovation is originally yours? How about you start looking at social media from a different perspective, understanding how to form this tool for the benefit of your creativity and fuel your talent.