Selfie‐Help: The Multimodal Appeal of Instagram Poetry

The Effects of Communication Mediums on the Evolution of Modern and Contemporary Western Poetry

“…In contemporary times, thinkers have been revisiting the idea of allowing popularity to dictate what is considered poetry. Though historically, artists, critics, and theorists have viewed the academic and public spheres as separate, the immense popularity and success of Instagram poetry, an accessible genre both intellectually and physically, has challenged this notion (Pâquet, 2019). Pâquet states, "to date, academic scholarship has largely overlooked Instagram poetry, usually considering it a lowbrow form that demonstrates little literary merit" (Pâquet, 2019, p. 296).…”

“…Pâquet states, "to date, academic scholarship has largely overlooked Instagram poetry, usually considering it a lowbrow form that demonstrates little literary merit" (Pâquet, 2019, p. 296). She credits this to a persisting binary between academia and popular culture (Pâquet, 2019). Pâquet believes this binary omits the consideration of the importance of public reception and the legitimation that it may afford (Pâquet, 2019).…”

“…She credits this to a persisting binary between academia and popular culture (Pâquet, 2019). Pâquet believes this binary omits the consideration of the importance of public reception and the legitimation that it may afford (Pâquet, 2019). Allowing the public to decide what should count as poetry would widen the scope of poetry and allow for twenty-first century Instagram poetry to be admitted into the canon.…”

“…Literary merit, for many critics, is what is missing from newer forms of poetry (Pâquet, 2019). This opinion may be shared by many intellectuals, but the concept of literary merit is just as hard to pinpoint as the genre of poetry, and it is ultimately subjective.…”

“…Instagram also employs multimodality, a way of communicating that uses multiple modes of communication, for instance, text, images, sound, video, and any combination of these (Kress, 1998). Instagram has also been able to revive poetry and make it relevant to a new generation through accessibility of language and digital reach (Pâquet, 2019). For these reasons, Instagram poems are included in this study of communication mediums and their affordances in relation to poetry dissemination.…”