Reflections on Social Media and it’s relationship with comic artists and cartoonists.
The peer-reviewed article Published in JoCat, was written in 2018 and edited in 2021 for publication without changing data from the 2018 exploration of how fans play a role in the confessional artists healing journey.
Since editing the article I have had time to reflect on the content.
As I lay awake at 430am last night thinking about Joshua W Cotter, a comic artist in America who I follow on instagram, I got to thinking about my article and the relationship of the artist-comic-audience which I aligned with the client-art-therapist triangle.
first thought
Joshua has had a rough time of late, and was documenting his process in the comic Infinite Cuck. I was deeply engaged, as an audience member, commenting and liking to ensure I saw the next post. One day he announced he was taking a break from social media, and not to worry. He returned a few weeks later to say he had been in hospital, and had been diagnosed as neurodiverse and was getting help. He continued Infinite Cuck, which is nearing it’s end. He has now announced he will be departing social media.
second thought
Adding to Joshua’s experience, I deleted all my instagram which had over 1500 followers in 2019 and Facebook in late 2020, only to start a new instagram page in 2020 lockdown, photographing trolleys in lockdown but it is now a cartoon page again. This got me thinking. Could there be an expiration date on the effectiveness of audience feedback (likes/comments), especially when it does not translate into income? Does this validation become a void, a blackhole, after the followers plateau and the effort to be seen outweighs the feedback. What prompts this mental health step to DISENGAGE with the audience, that previous provided validation?
third thought
The thought flowed then to ask: Could therapy become like this, a void, a blackhole, if it goes on too long without change or growth? It is known that this is true, therapy does plateau. Sometimes a break is needed, or a change in therapist or therapy style. At what point does external validation cease to be effective?
more questions follow
This thought then turned to the creative mind, as a unique mind- driven to create and share and be seen and understood via the art. Could the creative mind be so misunderstood, that in this society it is unvalued, and the pressure of productivity overshadows the raw need to create? AND for the uncreative mind, does this pressure of productivity also weigh heavily?
final thought
Endless reels have replaced a once vibrant creative hub, in 15 short years social media has become an AI algorithm with hooks to numb the mind and create the compliant and docile workers. IMHO. no longer a place of art and celebration, or connection, rather a TikTok immitation nightmare of endless content mimicry in a cacophany of repeated snippets of tracks, the uncreative minds finding a creative outlet which has drowned the creatives and therefore the culture. Now homogenised for easy and safe consumption
#debord