Social media has become an integral part of our lives in today's age. / Photograph by Aman Pal
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Aesthetics vs Cringe: How artists from marginalized backgrounds are claiming their space on social media
The internet has become an integral part of our lives. The total number of people connected to the internet in India in January 2022 was reported to be 658 million. Because the internet is so pervasive, social media has become an inseparable part of our lives. With social media becoming so popular, a plethora of content exists on these platforms. While some types of content on social media are termed ‘popular,’ a specific kind of content is called ‘cringe,’ which is problematic in many ways.
Social media spaces are now being used for various activities, from leisure to business. It has become a medium for meeting people, making friends, promoting businesses, and showcasing art. With social media becoming the center of the internet, many modern-day artists and content creators have joined this space with unique content and art forms. From painters, singers, and dancers to comedians, these art forms have found their way into social media with dedicated audiences.
Like cinema, music, and other art forms, mainstream entertainment spaces have always been dominated by savarna people and their narratives. So much so that a savarna hegemony exists, which is reflected in the popular kind of art in India. The internet mirrors the real world, reflecting the same pattern on social media. Almost all the popular content creators and artists come from privileged backgrounds. The content termed “popular” on social media reflects the upper-class savarna narratives and discourses.
However, it is also important to note that social media, in many ways, has democratized the online space too. It has provided a platform for people from all backgrounds to express themselves, which was hitherto close to impossible. This is one of the primary reasons why social media is so popular among young people. Numerous artists from marginalized backgrounds are gaining popularity on social media with their unique art forms and content.
History and appropriation of art forms
These new-age artists are challenging the pre-existing hegemony of the savarna people and reclaiming what is theirs. Art forms historically have been associated with people belonging to lower castes. Historically, various marginalized communities have fostered and practiced art forms like dance and music as their occupation. Many of these communities were courtesans under many Indian rulers.
The influence of Brahminism on these art forms cleansed their historical practice and transformed them into something religious, as we have popularly known them through history. Moreover, savarnas have appropriated these art forms for years through popular entertainment mediums like cinema, classical music, traditional dance forms, etc. All the mainstream art forms have been full of upper-caste and upper-class discourses, which reflects how savarna people have hijacked art forms that were once shunned by them and looked down upon.
Siddhesh Gautam is a digital artist who runs the popular Instagram page bakeryprasad with more than 55,000 followers. He creates digital art that follows an anti-caste narrative. Gautam’s art is heavily influenced by the teachings of Phule, Ambedkar, and other significant figures of the anti-caste movement.
“People from marginalized communities have historically practiced many popular art forms. Savarna people appropriated these art forms as soon as they became profitable. The same pattern is reflected on social media platforms,” says Siddhesh Gautam.
“People from marginalized communities have historically practiced many popular art forms. Savarna people appropriated these art forms as soon as they became profitable. The same pattern is reflected on social media platforms.”
Decoding aesthetics: Why the term ‘cringe’ is problematic?
Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have become a popular space for content creators and artists to express themselves through art. However, there seems to exist a specific aesthetic that is necessary for an art form to be popular on social media. Artists these days need expensive gadgets, trendy clothes, and the best of looks to create aesthetically pleasing content. If all these prerequisites are not present, for instance, in a dance or a music video, they are called cringe content because they don’t fulfill the required aesthetics. Cringing has become a modern online practice where people tag specific content as cringe if they don’t like it. This constitutes the cringe culture that exists in online and social media spaces.
Here, an important question arises: Who decides the aesthetics, and what makes only a particular type of content popular and the others cringe? If we dive deeper into the matter, it becomes clear that the general notion of cringe is just a modern form of discrimination that constitutes casteism and classism. A specific type of content on social media in which the artist is not wearing flashy clothes and does not have expensive gadgets is more likely to be called cringe. The concept of pleasing aesthetics and a particular type of content being labeled as popular is very brahminical. It arises out of the appropriation of art by the savarna people.
“I know many Muslim and Bahujan people who create amazing content on a very local level. I have seen their videos getting copied by big entertainment channels on youtube without giving them any credits. This whole concept of cringe feels like propaganda because content coming from marginalized creators will be called cringe by the same entertainment channels and creators who copy them. These savarna creators will reject a specific type of content and term it as a bad aesthetic. But they won’t acknowledge that even if people are making cringe videos, as they call it, their content is very much inspired by Bollywood. So this whole concept of bad aesthetics is, in fact, produced by savarnas themselves,” says Gautam on being asked about the online cringe culture.
Social media has become all about aesthetics and less about the quality of content. / Photograph by Arnel Hasano
“Social media, for now, has democratized the online space. However, it may not be the case forever. Governments worldwide are trying to impose censorship through laws and regulations, which ultimately curtails your freedom of expression, making the internet a not-so-safe space after all.”
Social media as a safe space for creators from marginalized backgrounds
Social media, in some sort, has democratized the online space. People from all backgrounds have access to these platforms where they can express themselves through art. However, an important question here is whether it is a safe enough space for artists and content creators? Instagram, in several instances, has been accused of promoting only a particular type of content and restricting the others.
Many Bahujan creators who create content related to Dalit activism on Instagram have reportedly complained about their content being restricted without any prior explanation. The algorithm of these platforms is designed in such a way that they reflect casteist tendencies. Additionally, issues like censorship and curbing of free speech by the government remain one of the biggest threats to the suppressed voices that have found their way into the online space.
“When the printing press came, people had printing presses even in garages. Eventually, there were laws and regulations and other technological factors that regulated these presses and imposed censorship. Whenever a new technology comes into existence, people tend to get involved a lot. In a similar fashion, social media, for now, has democratized the online space. However, it may not be the case forever. Governments worldwide are trying to impose censorship through laws and regulations, which ultimately curtails your freedom of expression, making the internet a not-so-safe space after all,” adds Gautam.
Whatever may be the case of social media platforms in the future, for now, artists and creators from all backgrounds are trying to find their space on these platforms. There are brilliant artists on Instagram creating unique content and challenging the pre-existing hegemony of savarna people on social media. Special shoutout to Anurag Minus Verma and Puneetsupar_star for the most original and funny content on Instagram.
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