Patti Smith explains her take on social media
Social media is a troubling world. It can be a hell hole, it can be a life-sapping endless scroll, but it can also be a wonderfully connective tool. Patti Smith likes to focus on the latter when it comes to Instagram.
The punk music pioneer has a new photography book on the way. A Book of Days explores the snapshots of her life complete with essays. It was inspired by Smith’s wildly popular Instagram account which her daughter encouraged her to take up.
Smith has managed to craft a wholesome and informative space on the app. She seems to have tapped into the reality that if you set your stall out as a gentle realm then people generally respect it.
Speaking about her use of the App, she told the Guardian: “[She] told me that because I wasn’t on Instagram, it was an open field for impostors who were exploiting and soliciting other people in my name and I said, ‘What can I do about it?’”
Since that initial rather logistical reason for joining, Smith has crafted a caring corner where she connects with over one million followers. Generally, she shares artistic pictures of the everyday aesthetic of her life. In this respect, it has allowed Smith to be “part of society.”
She uses this outlet to encourage empathy. As she stated: “Today, I woke at four in the morning out of a sound sleep, thinking of the women of Iran and of my daughter… my mind all over the place.”
Adding: “I keep waking through the night. Part of me is always conscious of what is happening in Ukraine, the threat of nuclear weapons, the climate crisis, a part of Florida destroyed.”
Aside from A Book of Days which is out tomorrow (November 16th), Smith has also said that she is working on her 12th and final album.
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