Last night we decided to watch Bomb it on Netflix. It’s about the origins of graffiti as a movement and interviews some of the more infamous sprayers.
A few things that stuck out to me. One is people’s insatiable need to comment and create. The second is there are a lot of parallels to social media. If you’re posting in the social space are you not a digital graffiti writer? This is especially true if you’re on Twitter where you can see nearly everyone’s message.
(on why they tag) “We’re letting people know we’re here.” – Graffiti artist, Bomb it.
“A series of numbers after the name tells where the tagger is from in an otherwise huge and anonymous city.” – News reporter, Bomb it
Aren’t we using social media to let people know we’re here? “Hello, Internets, it’s me, Brian. I’m not just a profile, I’m a person.” Right? Right?
Think about your digital tag for a moment. While you do that, I’ll leave you with another quote from Bomb it:
(Graffiti tag vs. Graffiti art) “No one starts off making art murals. They start with their basic expression, the tag.” – Graffiti Artist, Bomb it
So what’s your digital tag? Are you just letting people know you’re here, or are you making a statement?
I contend that people keep moving past graffiti tags, be it digital or paint, but they will stop for a beautiful graffiti art piece.
VS
So what kind of digital graffiti are you spraying on social media? Are you interacting or is it all about your tag? Are you adding content or is it all about your tag? Are you giving back with your creativity & intelligence or is it all about your tag? Are you just writing your name or are you saying something more?
Tell us in the comments, what kind of digital graffiti are you creating? Do you even agree with the concept of digital graffiti?