Feed the Algorithm or Fight the Power?

Reflections on art, intention, and the digital age

As Art Week Miami approaches, I've been feeling increasingly conflicted about Instagram.

I'll be exhibiting at Red Dot Miami with MIDO Galería, and naturally, I feel an obligation to promote my participation. Exhibiting is a financial investment, and logically, if I'm willing to invest in showing my work, shouldn't I also be willing to invest in marketing it?

But therein lies the contradiction.

The very act of creating my art is, in many ways, an act of rebellion against the digital age. Thousands of circles, drawn slowly, one at a time. No shortcuts. No instant gratification. Just the quiet satisfaction of being present.

And yet, to share this work with the world, I'm supposed to feed an algorithm that thrives on precisely the opposite.

I genuinely believe social media, particularly Instagram, is contributing to the deterioration of our collective attention, our relationships, and perhaps even our humanity.

So why would I willingly participate in something I fundamentally disagree with?

My mentor, Luis Pons, would often say, "Nataly, align your actions with your intentions."

I hear his voice in my head all the time.

I believe we vote with our dollars, but we also vote with our time. And every moment I spend on a platform I fundamentally disagree with feels like a vote against my own convictions.

There's also the question of influence. I'd much rather be influenced by the natural world around me than by whatever a fabricated screen decides to put in front of me.

And yet, Instagram remains one of the easiest ways to discover artist opportunities, exhibitions, and gallery openings. It connects me to a world I genuinely want to be part of.

But easiest isn't always best.

I want people to discover my work. I want to connect with collectors, galleries, and other artists. I want to make a living doing something I love.

But I don't want to spend my life manufacturing content to convince an algorithm that I deserve to be seen.

Perhaps there's a way to participate without surrendering. To use the platform without allowing it to use me.

Or perhaps that's just another justification for participating in a system I'd rather see dismantled.

I don't think I'm alone in this contradiction, and I certainly haven't figured out how to reconcile it.

For now, I'll keep drawing my circles.

And wondering whether I should feed the algorithm or fight the power.