Heather (we us ours) on Warpcast

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Eric P. Rhodes pfp

❓Cryptoart Question of the Week ❓ Social media plays a huge role in how art is shared and valued today, but it doesn't always help the artists in the right way. What role should social media play in supporting artists? And how does it help artists? Please tag your replies with #CAQOTW.

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Heather (we us ours) pfp

Heather (we us ours)

Social media can be a powerful tool for artists using blockchain. It enables connection with niche communities & collectors that might otherwise be out of reach. However, its utility is often overshadowed by the structural limitations of the platforms. The algorithms that drive engagement tend to promote content that already has high visibility, favoring established names & trends while marginalizing emerging or experimental artists. Research shows that social media algorithms prioritize engagement metrics—likes, shares, comments—over diversity or equity in exposure &, of course, Quality which is hard/subjective & not easily quantified. Social Media creates the same boring feedback loop where the popular become more popular, & the less visible struggle even harder to be seen. In crypto art, which thrives on decentralization & democratization of access, this can be particularly frustrating & honestly, proof that it really is same as it ever was. The dream is alive; in action the revolution isn't realized

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i'm not sure i agree wholly agree that social media as an explicit practice prioritizes engagement metrics over diversity or equity in exposure. but that's only because i distrust the mention of studies until i can read them myself and gain an understand how the research was done in the first place. my hypothesis is that the more topic-driven platforms like reddit, quora, other forum type platforms are more efficient in the distribution of quality content due to the niche channel-like nature of the experience. though this is purely anecdotal based on my experience. also, when you mentioned "Quality" i was immediate reminded Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance where the metaphysics of Quality is being mediated on. that said, i think quality (little q) is subjective and not easily quantified (though we do try... top 25 polls in college football, billboard top 100 songs, etc.). but Quality transcends the subjective and is understood on an intuivtive level. we know it when we see it.

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Heather (we us ours)

I've yet to read any research on social media algorithms that don't show a preference for prioritizing engagement metrics. I personally would like to see Algorithm Transparency. I tend to agree with you on the point about reddit and quora. I may not die on this hill but Quality involving aesthetics IS subjective. I know it because I've seen it (and I can't unsee what some people call Quality). I appreciate you and the discourse ER.

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prioritizing engagement metrics yes. but it's not clear that it's at the detriment of diversity/equity to me. in fact, it's seemed to me that the algo's especially at twitter before elon took over skewed more heavily promoting diversity and equity as an agenda. I think x has open-sourced their algo now. and i don't know the account off the top of my head, but they analyze the algo changes. giving more clarity to it all. on quality: there's a whole book on the Metaphysics of Quality written by people much smarter than i. i admit, i don't understand enough of it. i agree though that we know Quality when we see it. i just don't believe big Q quality is subject. i believe it's intuitive and known on a deeper level.

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