The Contentification of Art on Digital Platforms: A Netnographic Analysis of Aesthetic Consumption

Abstract

This research aims to examine the ontological transformation and commercialization practices of artworks in the digital age through e-commerce and social media platforms. Shaped around Walter Benjamin’s concept of aura, Guy Debord’s spectacle, and Jean Baudrillard’s simulation theories, the study questions how high art is transformed into a pragmatic consumption object  on digital platforms. Netnographic analysis, a qualitative research design, was used as the methodology; user interactions and archival data on platforms such as Trendyol, Temu, Instagram, X (Twitter), and Reddit were examined. In the analysis conducted over the works of iconic figures like Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, it was determined that the functionality of the copy has replaced the uniqueness of the original artwork. The findings indicate two different tendencies in the relationship consumers establish with commodified art objects: on one hand, a pragmatic consumer profile that adopts the artwork as an ordinary commodity in pursuit of aesthetics and comfort; on the other hand, a critical consciousness that opposes the emptying of the artwork by tearing it from its context. Consequently, it is anticipated that while digitalization processes damage the aura of art and turn it into a spectacle decor, an ethical and aesthetic resistance against this commodification trend persists in certain segments of society.