The Evolution of Poetry on Social Media

In the pre-internet era, poetry was confined to the books, journals, and letters of great poets. Today, the internet has provided us with the unique ability to watch new poets emerge in real time, connect with poets from across the world, and consume poetry on a massive scale.

Social media has played a critical role in shaping the way we write, read, and share contemporary poetry. Here’s an overview of the evolution of poetry on social media, from early blogs and forums to modern platforms like Instagram and TikTok. 

A brief history of poetry on social media

In the early 1990s and 2000s, poetry was mostly confined to personal blogs and forums like LiveJournal and Blogger. Websites like Poetry.com and AllPoetry also emerged as go-to hubs for poetry consumption and engagement with the poetry community. 

Later, social media giants like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Tumblr emerged and offered poets an easy way to share poems quickly and build a massive audience. These social media sites drove significant change in our culture, influencing an entire generation, so it’s no surprise that the poets who used them were inclined toward experimentation in form, style, and voice as well.

YouTube, in particular, helped grow the popularity of spoken word and slam poetry, with performances from slam poets like Sarah Kay quickly going viral. Likewise, Twitter’s original 140 character limit encouraged poets to experiment with brevity, leading to a rise in short verses, haikus, and other forms of “micro-poetry.” 

We saw a major shift in the poetry landscape when Instagram hit the scene. With an emphasis on visual content, poets like Rupi Kaur, Lang Leav, Atticus, and Tyler Knott Gregson went viral, gaining global audiences and book deals, and solidifying their careers as poets. These short, visually striking poems were so distinct that they carved out their own space as a new genre called “Instapoetry.”

Today, TikTok has emerged as a key platform for poets as well. Following in the footsteps of Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, TikTok poetry or “poetrytok” tends to be short-form with both visual and audio components. 

Poetry on social media: For better or for worse?

The evolution of poetry on social media has been widely debated by literary critics and poetry lovers. 

Some people celebrate the impact social media has had on the landscape, citing benefits like improved diversity and accessibility, strengthened community building, and rising interest in poetry among young people. On the other hand, many critics argue that Instapoetry, micropoetry, and other social media-driven forms have led to a rise in mediocre, “pop culture”-style poetry that lacks depth and literary complexity. 

Despite the many criticisms, poetry on social media is here to stay—and there’s a growing community of people who have begun to accept it and take it seriously as a distinct literary movement. As Hannah Taylor says in their thesis on Instapoetry and minor literatures: 

“Like many critics, I saw Instagram poetry as an exercise in self-indulgence, lacking depth, and capitalizing on readers’ identity insecurities to turn a profit. I recognize, now, that this opinion comes from a place of privilege. I am a white, heterosexual, middle class woman—a formal education was an expectation in my household. I had access to books from a young age, and was encouraged by my family to develop a love and respect for the arts. This project has complicated how I view poetry and art, particularly in how artists create and how audiences interact with their art.”

Regardless of whether or not social media poetry is considered a “legitimate” poetic movement in the scholarly poetry community, if you’re someone who writes, reads, and enjoys poetry on social media, you should by all means continue doing so! Poetry, like all art forms, will continue evolving as a response to the eras, cultures, and platforms within which it lives. So don’t worry about whether or not this art will stand the test of time—just have fun sharing and reading cool poems with your friends. 

And if you’re thinking about creating your first poetry account on Instagram, here’s some tips to get started.