Content creators on social media are usually not approached like film directors, musicians or designers, while these creators make an important contribution to our daily media consumption and (digital) culture. In the Significant Content event series, popular creators on various social media platforms are offered an artist talk.

Just as a significant figure in mathematics can make a difference in a calculation, the content of these creators can make a difference within the framework of a social media platform and reveal medium-specific characteristics of this platform. These creators often deploy very clever tactics that make their content work well within the medium they are using. By outlining the content and methods of these creators, meanwhile, it unravels how social media platforms work beneath the surface.

Significant Content was initiated by Sjef van Beers and Florian van Zandwijk. The two pilot events are made possible by the Creative Industries Fund NL.

16 December 2021
20.00 - 21.30
live.hetnieuweinstituut.nl

Speakers

The Instagram meme page @this.and.a.blunt could be considered a so-called "shitposting" account. The images uploaded to the page seem random and aimless. They don't really have a punchline, but are humorous nonetheless. The pictures and videos are nearly always screenshots or screenrecordings from other places, resulting in a chaotic reflection of the online zeitgeist.

The page Ms. Of Arca, @joan.of.arca, is a similar Instagram account that, as the name suggests, has a focus on pop star Arca and their related music. Ms. Of Arca also regularly posts references to themselves and other befriended meme pages.

7 October 2021
20.00 - 21.45

Het Nieuwe Instituut
Museumpark 25, Rotterdam

Speakers

Stefan Li, @TheSushiDragon, is active on Twitch. His streams look like video performances in which he is constantly flipping between different cameras, applying video and sound effects in an incredibly high pace and all in real time using a custom suit full of buttons and toggles. In his own words he is “exploiting technology to inject realtime imaginative content.”

Somi Lynda, @driplist, moved from Nigeria to the Netherlands a couple of years ago. She uses surprising situations she found herself in, in her new country of residence to make TikTok videos. Using the platform's formats and tools she shows Dutch habits and aspects of the culture natives might not even realize they participate in.