“If you are not enough for yourself, you will never be enough for someone else,” writes Rupi Kaur, a popular Instagram poet, against a blank white digital backdrop with a doodle of two people framing the page. It is just the kind of format of poetry that draws both critics and followers in equal measure.
Derided by many for being inauthentic, poetry on Instagram, or Instapoetry, is catching on among multiple demographics, reflecting a time when philosophy and personal therapy is encapsulated for the scrolling generation.
Instapoetry usually describes poems “written specifically for being shared online, most commonly on Instagram,” according to researchers who are studying this form and its appeal to a global audience. The poems typically use fewer than 100 words, are divided into very short lines, and are accompanied by aesthetically pleasing or disturbing visuals.
It is easy to understand the appeal of Instapoetry. It is short, utterly readable in the 30 seconds that are said to be the attention span of most of us who are on digital platforms, and yet offers a point of view or an opinion that is distinctive and catches the mood, attitudes, and predispositions of its readership, however fleetingly.
Most themes of Instapoetry involve self-care, emotional trauma, recovery and resilience in the face of mounting personal or social challenges. These are topics that are immediately relatable to a generation that faces global uncertainties.
At the same time, it is the brevity of the form that makes it immediately attractive. The minimal text, eye-catching fonts with little use of punctuation, accompanied by a little drawing or photograph to catch the mood, all make it readable and relatable.
The interactive nature of this form is central to why it is so popular at this present moment. At its very core, Instapoetry is targeted at a particular readership that rewards the poet through their comments.
Criticism of Instapoetry is varied. It is yet to be accepted as a legitimate form of academic text, seen more as a passing fancy and offering a ‘self-help aesthetic’ rather than a well-thought-out treatise on life and art.
This genre of literature has been dismissed as “cliché, banal, derivative, portentous, repetitive, and manipulative” by academics and critics. It has been derided for lacking thoughtful depth, rigour of expression and being of fleeting interest. It is also seen to appeal via aesthetics and commercial considerations rather than artistic authenticity.
More sustained critique of Instapoetry, however, lies elsewhere. The form is seen to be more focused on lamenting marginalisation, targeting communities or individuals who see themselves outside mainstream society. In so doing, there is a charge that such poetry is generalising trauma, removing the complexities of individual contexts and making it a one-size-fits-all kind of experience.
However relevant these critiques may be, there is no denying the popularity of this genre for audiences today. For one, it is a very democratic form that is not subject to gatekeeping by publishers and a niche readership. Anyone can share poetry of this format and create a unique following.
The format also decries critics who suggest that readership in literature is reducing, if not disappearing. If anything, poetry has seen a new life through this popular format.
In its ability to bring together a host of digital registers like hashtags, visuals, innovative punctuation and a unique aesthetic, whether appealing or disruptive, Instapoetry is reflecting a moment in literary history. Whatever its future may be, it is undeniably a form that has captured the angst of its current readership.
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