In a world of sharing and reblogging, it’s not uncommon to come across artists trying to promote their work online. There are solid communities of graphic designers on Instagram, musicians on SoundCloud and makeup artists on YouTube that use social media to brand themselves and connect with similar people. Gone are the days when accomplished poets came strictly from prestigious institutions and publishing companies — today, they’re posting verses on Twitter and Tumblr, right beside your friends’ award show recaps and petty complaints. More and more artists are getting their start online, but the way we view these artists’ legitimacy is behind the times.

There’s a tendency to downplay the success of an artist whose platform is based online as opposed to in galleries or at museums. Young artists in particular are affected by this ideal, taking hits for trying to promote their work on something we can all access for free. The accessible nature of social media conflicts with the lofty, high-caliber image associated with Shakespeare and Degas, making it difficult to appreciate what new artists are posting as true “art.”

But this fallacy is ignorant of the art world’s future and, dare I say, simply pretentious. Take Warsan Shire, a 26-year-old woman whose poetry gained a following on Tumblr and Twitter before it appeared in journals and magazines. She was named London’s Young Poet Laureate in 2014, but she also tweets Britney Spears quotes just like the rest of us. Though Shire started online, her perceptive poetry on immigrant life shouldn’t be undermined for that reason.

And there are plenty more examples, too; Justin Bieber became famous because of the Chris Brown cover he posted in 2008, and John Green’s vlog helped promote his wildly successful literary career. Lindsey Stirling’s violin performance art started on YouTube, and Skrillex released his first EP for free on Myspace. These means of expression are legitimate and shouldn’t take away from the successes they have today. A grassroots approach to promoting one’s art should be appreciated, not questioned, as it will become the norm in due time.

Largely because of social media, artists in the near future will be more connected, relatable and diverse than ever before. Though social media’s accessibility promotes the “everyone can be an artist” sentiment that many find to be phony, it’s only beneficial to the art community. It is more conducive to people of different races, experiences and socioeconomic statuses. It encourages collaboration between artists and exploration within and across art forms. It makes the art world less of an intimidating, lofty society and more of a hopeful, human one whose participants deserve the same respect from all of us.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Email Grace Rogers at [email protected].