Is Social Media Dead for Artists? (Is Email Alive?)

Network television is nostalgic. But there is a generation alive today that has no idea what it is. They likely cannot fathom that, at one point in time, there were only three television stations. Like network television in 2025, is social media dead for artists?

Not so long ago, everyone knew CBS, NBC, and ABC. Companies’ demand for the limited supply of commercial airtime on just three channels made the opportunity to get in front of a television audience very valuable. 

Technology changed. Now no one can count how many channels there are, nor are there television sitcoms singularly commanding the zeitgeist like Dallas or All in the Family.

Maybe more familiar to an artist today is Facebook. 

How social media platforms make (and break) artist careers

I jokingly ask now, “What is Facebook?” when someone brings it up in conversation in 2025. But even in my own recent memory, it is numbing how much time was invested, devoted, or wasted collecting “friends” and posting memes to Facebook pages. 

Eventually, everyone seemed to have left for Instagram—the fix is quicker and possibly more aesthetically pleasing.

Then more recently, murmurings and conversations now lament artists’ vaporizing plans for finding new audiences or growing relationships on Instagram. The technology is still relevant and the presentation of content top-notch, but the cultural and political implications of using the platform have changed in 2025. Audiences and creators are leaving.

Who owns an audience?

It is a philosophical question. Realistically, no one owns an audience. However, if you do not own the platform—or the connection details to an audience member on a given platform—you can’t control how quickly an audience can appear or disappear.

Business is relationships. If your means of connecting to another person, like your customer, disappears, your business will disappear. 

If not social media, then what?

We at Burkholder Agency enjoy social media platforms. But our experience suggests they may not be the path to an enduring business. Audiences are becoming harder to reach organically, algorithms prioritize paid content, and the mental exhaustion of constantly “playing the game” is serious.

We find ourselves strongly encouraging people to look at “old-fashioned” methods—wherever the contact information remains relevant for a longer time.

Email, for example, may still evolve. But we speculate that it won’t go extinct at quite the pace of your current favorite flavor of social media. (BlueSky, anyone?)

Hint: Snail mail and the phone probably have even more staying power. 

How is an artist supposed to use relics of the digital age to bring in the future-bending power of art?

Is social media dead for artists?

Social media will probably not die soon. It’s too big. Creators will continue to both win and lose at it’s hands. But the artists who invest in “old-fashioned” strategies like email to own their audience will be best positioned to adapt and thrive.

Here’s one idea—instead of ending all social media use, focus on using it to capture subscribers for elsewhere. “For the real content, subscribe to my email list, newsletter, online zine, etc.” Even prioritizing platforms like Medium, Substack and Patreon you can own more of your audience (but still not all of it.)

We have lots of thoughts on growing relationships through the email inbox. We often explore them in our free virtual co-working sessions and even welcome email professionals to help show our community how to build audiences and foster lasting engagement.