“When you simply feel like you need more kindness, good old Tumblr is like someone’s brain. Having the chance to peek inside is something truly extraordinary,” said Swedish artist Arvida Byström as early as 2014, having made “social aesthetics” her artistic signature. Yet, there is a small drawback: on social media, every “like” we receive triggers a tiny dopamine rush, compelling us to keep checking for more validation. As Katherine Ormerod writes in Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life, it’s easy to become obsessed with our digital image, believing we have control over our appearance. We grow accustomed to seeing perfected versions of ourselves and others, forgetting that these images are often edited. As a result, online platforms become distorting mirrors that reflect a society obsessed with performance and self-presentation.  

But who are we when we perform for an invisible audience? What power dynamics shape our online presence? And most importantly, what role does art play in deciphering and challenging these dynamics? Far from being merely a technological frontier, the digital world becomes a battleground of aesthetic and political struggles, where narcissism, manipulation, and vulnerability are intricately intertwined. Yet, in the hands of artists, social media transforms into a tool for exploring the complexities of human existence in the technological era, balancing between authenticity and illusion.  

Among the pioneers of this exploration is American artist Petra Cortright (b. 1986), whose VVEBCAM (2007) turns a simple YouTube video into a commentary on self-representation in the digital age. In the video, Cortright appears in front of a webcam, playing with preset filters and effects – her act is both a moment of vulnerability and a staged performance. The result is a critique of the voyeurism inherent in online content consumption, highlighting how even mundane moments can be commodified through algorithms and attention dynamics.  

A few years later, Argentine-Spanish artist Amalia Ulman (b. 1989) demonstrated how social media can be used as a canvas for constructing illusions of perfection. Her Excellences & Perfections (2014), a five-month-long performance on Instagram, narrated the rise and fall of a fictional alter ego embodying the stereotype of a young woman obsessed with beauty and success. By posting glamorous selfies, images hinting at cosmetic surgery, and scenes of an apparently luxurious life, Ulman deceived thousands of followers into believing her online persona was real – exposing how easy it is to manipulate perception in a world where visual validation outweighs truth.  

Like Ulman, Arvida Byström uses her Instagram profile to challenge gender stereotypes and beauty norms dictated by online culture. Her often provocative images question the representation of the female body and objectification on social media. Byström exposes how social platforms encourage aesthetic conformity, serving as spaces of self-expression but also oppression.  

In contrast, Signe Pierce’s American Reflexxx (2015) unfolds in the physical world: a powerful and unsettling performance where the artist walks through a small American town dressed provocatively while being filmed with a GoPro. The reactions of passersby – ranging from hostility to outright violence – become the focal point of the piece. The video, later shared online, becomes itself a viral social experiment, reflecting on voyeurism, social judgment, and the spectacle of violence in the digital era.  

Through different perspectives, these artists – who share the commonality of being women and millennials, the first generation to experience the profound impact of social media on self-perception –demonstrate how the online universe is both a space of creative possibilities and a dangerous ground for manipulation and alienation. Their works serve a dual purpose: they help us better understand the cultural and psychological dynamics shaping our digital interactions, while also forcing us to question our own role within this system. As the line between real and virtual continues to blur, art remains an essential tool for deciphering the complexities of identity and human relationships.

Opening image: Arvida Byström Coexist, 2022. Courtesy Galerie Kandlhofer