The influencer is the modern-day reality star consumed with narcissism and the lust for fame and likes. The following is a proposal, based on a theory, on how to change this.
Make social media private and exclusive
Audience engagement will increase if more independent artists, not just musicians, go private. The artist would only share their final product. The final product would be in-person interaction (a live show), a physical product (Vinyl, painting, CD, etc.), or a digital medium to digest the work (Bandcamp, Spotify, SoundCloud, etc.)
I think this because of the lyrics on the back of a Pearl Jam Ten album. They weren’t printed. They weren’t spelled out. They were barely legible. You were guessing. As a kid, and a teenager, I would spend nights listening to music while reading the insert for the tape, record, or CD. I had no idea about Eddie Vedder’s pooping routine. Nor, did I know what he ate for dinner that night. I wanted to know who "Jeremy" was. What "Oceans" was about. It made me yearn for more Pearl Jam, more music, and, eventually, another album.
Bring the mystery back to art
The painting should explain how someone feels about the world, not their IG page. Just like the music and the artwork surrounding music does. This mystery brought many people guessing for years before social media. It's not that we don't have enough people to go to shows. It's just the number of people that are curious about art has decreased. I don't blame them. Why would they be curious? They already saw me pooping and sharing my last meal on an IG post.
We stop the influencer. We stop the attention machine that is killing our culture.
Social media platforms such as IG and FB are meant for intimate encounters with people close to the artist. Friends, family, and other artists. A good rule of thumb I am using is this: Have I met this person in person? Have I collaborated with them? This stops oneself from falling into the trap of wanting to go public with intimate content, including the steps in the creation of one's art. It stops toxic posting for a dopamine response from the number of likes, shares, or whatever gets the influencer through the day.
Fight the Power
We are also taking power away from those that can do harm to us. The left, the right, toxic people, work, etc. You are no longer in the public eye every day. The completed product is what matters. Plus, censorship is rampant on all platforms, on both sides of the aisle. If we limit our reach of intimate content to just a few we have more freedom amongst our friends to be ourselves. The bubble within which we communicate on social media is toxic. I want to remove myself from that bubble. Have my own little bubble. If needed, I can delete the bubble. As we move to Web 3.0 and decentralized social media we will see more ephemeral states of us.
It's about People and connecting
The artist wants a connection with the audience. The artist wants the art to move people. Perhaps, less is more. We are losing that connection because of instant availability to everything. Social media has removed the connection to the people.