Words on hand: A hand is used as the backdrop of an Instapoem to attract followers. (Courtesy of Instagram/s.l_gray)

Writing a “real” poem published in a prestigious newspaper or cultural magazine can be a challenge. It not only entails talent and passion but also understanding and mastery of basic elements of poetry such as imagery, metaphors, similes, rhyme and so on. As a rule, a real poem contains and meets required basic poetry elements.

That is how the standards of long-established traditional or conventional poetry has been viewed. But it should be acknowledged that real poetry is often deemed difficult, rarefied, exclusive and elite.

Thanks to social media platforms, particularly Instagram, anyone can be a poet, popularly known as an “instapoet”. As long as you have a smartphone, internet and, of course, an Instagram account and upload your poems there, you can be a poet!

It is so simple, isn’t it?

Instapoet fever has emerged in parallel with the development of social media, which has now become part of the daily lives of the digital generation. This style of poetry is dubbed “instapoetry” and this type of poetry is written specifically for sharing, most commonly on Instagram, but also Twitter and Tumblr.

Instapoetry mostly comprises several direct short lines and the poets package their work with aesthetically pleasing fonts that are sometimes accompanied by a selfie, photos, illustration, images or drawings, and some with audio and video.

Interestingly, each poem is immediately followed by comments from followers, which we cannot find in traditional poems.

Instapoetry may lack the subtlety and complexity that literary-minded poets and highbrow critics usually prefer, but its deeply confessional, heart-on-your-sleeve ethos is resonating with fans, according to one expert.

Young author Bernard Batubara says that instapoets attract many readers (followers and likes) on Instagram because first, they are present anytime on their smartphone. Second, he says, their works are short and easy to digest, which best fit the pulse of life among the digital generation, which is blanketed with distraction.

“Third, this is the most important point, they voice the audience’s feelings and thoughts,” he remarks.

Rintik Sedu, Boy Chandra, Fiersa Besari, Katrina Vabiola and Putri Marino, to name but a few, are among Indonesia’s most popular instapoets.

Astrid Suu, Dika Agustin, Vahn Wijaya and Jodie J. Jonazh also write poems in English. Their names are perhaps strange to the ear for those who are not engaged with Instagram on a daily basis. However, they have their own readership and their words are widely read by Indonesian Instagram audiences. Some have even published their work.

While the majority Indonesian instapoets write their poems in Indonesian, Instagram audiences are familiar with the world’s top instapoets, including Rupi Kaur with more than 3.7 million followers and her bestselling book Milk and Honey, Lang Leav with her poetry compilation Sea of Strangers, Leticia Sala, Nikita Gill and Cleo Wade.

Writing and uploading poems on their Instagram account, several of which have made instapoets famous, is not without risks.

Like people from the older generation who have a somewhat cynical view of the development of digital literature, there are those who look down upon instapoets, who they do not consider to be “real poets”. Instapoets are regarded as just skillful in creating quotes but unable to write well, unfamiliar with metaphor, lack creativity and so on. They are seen as only seeking followers or likes through their poems.

But according to Bernard, there are also instapoems that are rich in creativity and metaphors that invite us to think about their meaning. They address concerns and express them in a simple language that readers (Instagram audiences), mostly young people, can understand easily.

He cites Astrid Suu’s lines as an example.

Rip me open/ cut me up/ dissect me/ and you’ll find/ a humming bird/ beating its wings/ inside my chest/ desperate to fly/ from the cages/ of this earth.

Once again, the major strength of typical Instagram poets is that they voice the feelings of their followers as their audiences, according to Bernard.

Regardless of whether instapoetry can be categorized as poetry or not, some academics appreciate the way it has stimulated an interest in poetry.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia