Abstract
The constant flow of visual content on digital platforms leads to fatigue. How can an ordinary individual truly engage with a work of art when they are constantly exhausted, their thoughts unable to keep up with the relentless speed of the information flow? The speed and volume of incoming images reduces the aesthetic experience to momentary impressions, governed by algorithmic selection. In this context, the potential for virality determines the artwork’s visibility. Rather than depth or disruption, artworks are rewarded for familiarity and emotional immediacy. This dynamic fosters a visual culture that privileges repetition over innovation, and aesthetic comfort over conceptual risk, contributing to the rise of kitsch. While the internet seemingly democratizes access to art by allowing cultural content to reach broad audiences, this access is mediated by opaque recommendation systems. These systems function as secret curators, selecting and amplifying what aligns with the platform’s logic of engagement rather than artistic merit. The traditional museum visit is replaced by a feed where the criteria for exposure is data-driven. This shift invites a critical reassessment of how aesthetic judgment is formed in platform-based environments and calls for renewed attention to the ethical and epistemological implications of algorithmic mediation in contemporary visual culture. My research addresses this need by investigating how algorithmic systems reshape the creation, distribution, and evaluation of art. Through theoretical analysis and selected case studies, the project contributes to understanding how algorithmic culture transforms the aesthetics of contemporary art.
Presenters
Melissa AntonescuStudent, Masters, National University of Arts Bucharest Romania, Bucuresti, Romania
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—From Democratic Aesthetics to Digital Culture
KEYWORDS
Aesthetics, Digital Algorithms, Art Visibility, Attention Economy
