We will no longer share our work on X
Dear reader,
Yesterday we announced that we will no longer post on any official Blackstock Art&Design accounts on the social media site X (formerly Twitter). We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our content elsewhere.
This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform. The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.
X users will still be able to share our work.
We will also carry on using the site for social satire purposes, just as we use other social networks in which we don’t officially engage.
Social media can be an important tool for arts organizations and help us to reach new audiences but, at this point, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work. Our artwork is available and open to all on our website and we would prefer people to come to and support our work there. You can also enjoy and discover new pieces via our brilliant set of regular newsletters (like this).
Thankfully, we can do this because our business model doesn’t rely on viral content tailored to the whims of the social media giants’ algorithms — instead we’re funded directly by our audience. Our work is never paywalled; if it’s on the net then it’s free.
Thank you.
