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Poetry Vs Social Media

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

I was just thinking about this earlier and decided to throw it out there:

Do you think that the internet and the rise of social media is solely responsible for poetry not dying into the ether?

I got to thinking earlier that if it wasn’t for the invention of the internet, poetry would have probably died out as it wouldn’t have reached people on the same scale.

Then I think of people who are poetry famous purely off the back of social media - for example, Rupi Kaur. Nothing would have happened without that platform and that exposure.

So… do you think one day the poetry of the future will exclusively be online, and traditional book anthologies will be a thing of the past?

… discuss.

Styxian
Dangerous Mind
United States 15awards
Joined 9th Oct 2021
Forum Posts: 161

I hope that there will always be book form of things to read, including poetry.  
No internet needed to be enlightened.  A book is not tethered to an electric current, be it battery or what not. It can go anywhere you take it.  And it won't lose connection or a charger etc.  
A book is held in your hands, which makes it a bit more intimate with the senses.  

A book can last forever, and not be erased.  

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

@Styxian - However much people use social media to promote their work, that goal always seems to be to get the book deal, so I think there still is demand for physical books. There’s a great deal of nostalgia attached to them.

However it’s interesting to think that even people with physical books these days still do most of their advertising now on the internet and through social media. Meaning the reach of audience without the internet would have been almost non-existent.

There’s so many angles when you think about it. The internet is probably responsible for the resurgence of poetry.

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

Generation next: the rise – and rise – of the new poets (article from The Guardian):

https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/16/rise-new-poets

All sides of the coin here.

_feral
Fire of Insight
United Kingdom 11awards
Joined 23rd Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 842

i feel like social media has really empowered poetry to another level and has brought many different forms to light as well as classical poetry, people even do open mic nights through facebook lives, instagram lives and create online hubs for all kinds of poets and writers and it's a beautiful thing to witness, i'm also proud to say i have had the opportunity to collaborate my art drawings beside another poets words who also belongs in the lgbtqia+ community and attended an open mic night and read a couple of poems too,  i can say with hand on heart i have social media to thank for that because it's brought me to so many beautiful people and artists to be honest,

when i started off on instagram twelve years ago i can honestly say i was thinking "nobody is going to want to read my words" .... but i was incredibly wrong to think that, there is literally room for everything online and on social media platforms no matter what kind of poet or writer you are,

i still believe paperback will still be around for anybody wanting to publish because writers will always wish or desire to have their words embodied in book form, or if you're a big bookworm then you will wish to read somebody's creation in the palms of your hand, so i think social media will always promote that kind of market because it will always be there for anybody to create and consume if they wish to have it.

just my thoughts 😎

#bookwormforever
#instapoet

🖤


Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

@_feral

Thanks for wading in. 😎

I think accessibility is a big word that I associate with insta poetry. It’s become something that perhaps focusses less on traditional ideas of poetry, and has instead turned that on its head, unapologetically.

Maybe that’s a sign of the times in that ambiguity has been largely replaced by something that doesn’t hide and says “well this is what I need to say”, and I guess people respond to that on a large scale.

On the flip side, it’s given an additional platform I think for people to explore and practice more traditional forms, meaning that I guess the internet has a big part to play in keeping those forms alive. Otherwise they might well slowly disappear into the mists of time.

I sincerely hope that paper publishing will still be a thing, but again…. all those books would do very little without the promotion of the internet.

I think, as a tool for good, social media has extreme benefits for the poetry world, and equally we have a lot to thank it for, really.


_feral
Fire of Insight
United Kingdom 11awards
Joined 23rd Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 842

it's interesting you say that because if you ask a couple of poets and writers in the online world how they started writing or where they draw inspo from, nine times out of ten they still have that classical inspiration they always go back to and perhaps withdraw lessons from which is actually nice to see and hear, i think everybody has some kind of classical inspiration that kickstarted their words off in some ways 😎

i guess it goes hand in hand doesn't it? i believe they keep eachother alive because without social media nobody would know poetry is still existing or maybe not so much on the scale it does today, then if we didn't have poetry books or the classics i can honestly say poetry wouldn't have the path that's been paved for poets and writers today, it's a very strange way how they both vitally keep the heart of poetry beating, but hey i'm here for it either way 😊

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

@feral

Yeah… it kinda reminds me of a few podcast episodes about the poems that got us into poetry, and many chose poems from childhood or school.

I guess it’s a thing of beauty that people have taken those literary lessons and applied them to what is needed now. And I think that’s what I love about poetry — its constant ability to adapt to society and our lives in an ever evolving way.

Social media is deffo at the forefront of that.

WUWU
Strange Creature
Joined 19th Mar 2022
Forum Posts: 1

Hello family, as I am a new member so I have no way to create a thread, so I am replying here. But I'm also here because I learned about you guys from social media
My English is very poor, so I had to use translation software to communicate with you. I came here to find someone with the same aesthetic interests.
In our country, there is an unknown poet who ended his life in 2007 (on his 30th birthday). But a few years ago I saw his poems in a shabby and small bookstore, and I was deeply shocked. So I wanted to try to introduce his poems to the English-speaking world.
His poems don't have names, only numbers. The book I have in my hand (1-2735). You can enter the number and I will try my best to translate his poems. Thanks again.
Here is Three pieces, from yvdi:
(2023)
In the midst of their narrative, A person's biography becomes complete.
Like a stone emerging from the bottom of the water, Everything about him is smooth, Can't be held tightly.
He knows, It was someone else, Not himself, Build the whole of his life.
This is the root of his sorrow.
(2022)
People cannot believe, He would fall so madly in love with a woman, Because his heart is full of hatred.
This incredible emotion makes him want to do whatever it takes to make her his own, Even if she has turned out to be a lunatic.
After her death,  He finally understood, The world, Was crippled at the beginning.
(2021)
Between man and woman,  Always a tangled debt,  It can't be impossible to solve even if eventually.
She married him, Just makes the burden heavier, He can't spend the time of a lifetime paying off his debt.
Sometimes, She hysterical. She knows, He has never been satisfied.

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

☝️ at least displays that the urge to share on social media is strong, however instant gratification is clearly prevalent amongst today’s sharers.

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

https://i-d.vice.com/amp/en_uk/article/wjd99w/the-rise-of-the-insta-poet-how-a-new-generation-of-poetry-was-born-online

Somebody just shared this on another poetry forum I’m on about the rise of InstaPoets. It feels like it belongs here.

Cipher_O
WarlordoftheWrittenWord
Tyrant of Words
United States 19awards
Joined 7th Mar 2021
Forum Posts: 251

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole,
regarding this subject matter.

I checked out the platforms,
content, opinions, 5 TED Talks, spoken word performances...

All of the perspectives,
from the classical to the contemporary have validity...

And a lot depends on the lens,
through which things are being analyzed.

But I think when it comes down to it,
humans have a will to art: both producing and experiencing.

No matter the "cave walls".

I am grateful to have learned of the things people
are doing...  Innovations they are making.

I feel inspired.

The Joelle Taylor TED Talk was dope.

I feel less megalomaniacal,
in my writing of a piece called "Poemdaemoneon".

Lately I have been thinking...

Sort of how Poetry is an integral component
of redemption, amongst other things...

I feel justified in these contemplations,
[although I didn't feel the need for justification.]

Thank you so much for sharing these things.

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

But I think when it comes down to it,
humans have a will to art: both producing and experiencing.


I think that’s the crux of it entirely, mate. Experiencing is just as much part of the art as it is producing it so it’s always interesting to see both sides of the coin, and how that coin will develop into future funds.

Lately I have been thinking...

Sort of how Poetry is an integral component
of redemption, amongst other things...


Interesting thought, and of course relevant. I think that’s why I’ve always held so much value towards the spoken word — by speaking our words out into the universe, they become their own declaration and manifestation.

You’re quite right, in my humble little opinion 😊

Also can we take a moment for TEDtalks… they’re mint. 👌🏻

Kou_Indigo
Kara L. Pythiana-Ashton
Tyrant of Words
United States 68awards
Joined 15th Sep 2011
Forum Posts: 2784

Missy, you are not far off about poetry and how our words totally connect with the universe all around us. There is such power in words, to create or to destroy... to express a thing, to describe a thing, and even to express the things that are difficult to convey with but images alone. Words can provide and add context, and they can challenge what we thought we knew. It is like how in Dune you have the power of the Voice and how it can be used to persuade powerfully. We can do that with our words in reality too... many powerful writings exist that can literally change peoples' lives, and in effect persuade them to explore things they had never before considered. And that is why such power must always be used for good and never to destroy or harm, which words also have the power to do. Writing should always be undertaken as an art form, I believe, since if a writer wishes for their work to become transcendent: they must create with care, heart, and will. This is quite different from what we see often in social media, where people are not careful with their words and do use them for harm (more oft than not, sadly). But I suppose in that way social media is sometimes a kind of test of one's character. For instance, I try to be only myself on things like Facebook and to that end I tend to try always to be compassionate, honest, and very careful with the words I choose. I am like that in real life, so for me that extends over into virtual life as well. The problem, I suppose, comes where you have people that abuse the concept of anonymity or who just do not care what they say even in real life. If only all people would choose their words as an artist who cares about their works might! I look at it this way... if all that I have done online outlives me, and I suspect it all will, then I want my legacy to be a good one, one that I can be proud of, with all my words I share being ones I do not regret. I tend to be the same way with my spoken words in regular, every-day life though. So, I suppose if one were to look at social media as a test of one's true character then you could say that few are the ones who pass, and many are they who fail. Lol. To that end, I try never to feed the trolls, preferring to use my words for better things!

Northern_Soul
-Missy-
Tyrant of Words
England 31awards
Joined 10th Jan 2021
Forum Posts: 5601

Hey Kou. Lovely to see you knocking about the place

Yeah, of course there will always be a minority that will use the anonymity as an excuse to cause havoc. However, sometimes I have to thank that anonymity for allowing a greater freedom of expression. A lot of people need the anonymity to get off their chest whatever they need to get off their chest, and to that end I guess social media is quite good at that.

I’ve had this chat many times (with a twin) about being real, and what it means to be real in a digital world that is often not real, so I’m glad to see that you are entirely yourself in all places.

I think it’s fair to say that social media has given us a platform for expression that we perhaps wouldn’t have, and perhaps allows us to BE more real by expressing parts of ourselves that we might not have expressed.

It’s all rather intertwined 😂

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