Babette Meng

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Judith Prowda

Second Advisor

Agnes Berecz

Abstract

Social media have revolutionized the contemporary art market, how artists promote their work, how collectors initially find pieces, and how art is valued and sold. This study investigates the effects of social media on the art industry using a mixed methods approach consisting of qualitative case studies enabled by thematic analysis and quantitative survey with statistical correlation analysis. Key findings from this paper show that with social media, the artist's visibility is vastly increased, direct-to-collector sales are promoted, and dependence on traditional galleries is reduced. The study considers the position of art influencers in the process of art promotion, which is shifting its authority from traditional art critique to digital celebrities. However, there are still many concerns, such as quality, authenticity, and trends determined by algorithms. While social media gives access to art to large parts of society, it also brings new problems that include visibility biases and commercialization pressures, according to the findings. It offers insights into how the same can be done in the future of digital art marketing. It provides recommendations for artists, collectors and galleries to navigate this evolving landscape. The study's contribution includes the added review to the academic discourse on digital influence in the arts and future research directions, particularly the largely unknown consequences of social media on art's artistic authenticity and value.

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