Famous British poet William Wordsworth defined poetry as ‘the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity’. Nothing can be more spontaneous than social media today, so it is only apt that reading poetry has become even more popular now than a few years ago.
Consider some facts: 25-year old Canadian Rupi Kaur sold more copies of her collection of poetry ‘Milk and Honey’ in 2 years than the legendary works of Homer. She became more popular once she posted her poetry on Tumblr, and then on Instagram.
There is also Drake, who started sharing his poetry on Instagram in 2013 by posting snippets of his poetry accompanied by pictures. He now has 1.8 million followers across social media. Atticus, hiding behind a mask, is an internet phenomenon who not only sells millions of copies of poetry but also has tours across North America and Europe.
Instagram poetry is probably not for the literary purists. The pithy one-liners are catchy for a text driven generation: “I am like the moon, but all my phases/Are about my love for you,” by Marie Jo Schwarz is followed by the little nudge to ‘tag someone you love’.
There are some motivational ones too: “The healing will come, only if you let it in” by someone with the handle ‘the typewriter daily’.
But the charm of poetry is that is develops and evolves. One of the reasons why poetry is still so popular today is because, as a form, it can take on modern and changing feelings and reflect our society.
Rupi Kaur, for example, speaks for countless women with the powerful lines “Our backs/tell stories/no books have the spine/to carry,” accompanied by the doodle of a woman’s back.
Not all Instagram poems are about love or the need to stay motivated.
Austen Kleon writes about exile in a blog but references it in a pictorial poem set in wavy black: “The winds/have begun blowing/me/back home”.
Instagram poets are an entire industry today. They have stage shows, book signings, and even merchandise. They lend their words to advertising, making it possible for brands to re-invent themselves using current issues of women’s empowerment and sustainability as pillars.
Cleo Wade, for instance, recently worked with Gucci to help it re-brand its image with the phrase ‘Chime for Change’.
Of course, there are critics of this kind of poetry, labelling is as commercial and just a passing fad. It doesn’t help that almost everybody can be posting a few lines, so the quality is not always great. Instagram poetry may be a passing fancy, or another significant chapter in the development of poetry. But if we can make any conclusions, it is that art will stay popular as long as it reflects the choices of its ‘consumers’, be it readers, buyers or viewers.
Instagram poetry has clearly brought out this form of literature to the fore, popularised it again just when reading of any kind was seen to be ending.
Sandhya Rao Mehta
The writer is an Assoc Prof, Depart of English Language and Literature, SQU
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
