Does social media kill creativity? | Vita Kari | TEDxUofW

Have you ever considered virality to be a form of art? Internet artist Vita Kari explores how the web has transformed the artistic landscape, shifting from a decentralized playground of self-expression into an attention-driven marketplace. In this captivating and visually surprising talk, they reveal how we can reclaim social media as a creative studio rather than a storefront. Discover the liberating power of "digital refusal" and learn why embracing the "cringe" might just be the ultimate key to unlocking your creativity in the digital age. Vita Kari (they/them) is a visual artist from Los Angeles investigating virality through textiles, performance, and video.

Kari focuses on the relationship between internet culture, diaspora, and public space, through their lens of being a deaf/Hard of Hearing (HOH) artist. Their figurative tapestries (inspired by their grandmother’s rugs), often feature unweaving that obscures the image, like missing dialogue without captions while deaf/HOH.

Kari earned an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design in 2024. They have exhibited nationally and internationally, including a two-person show in Shanghai/Wuhan in China, Zona Maco in Mexico City, Goodmother Gallery, Spy Projects, Bolsky Gallery, and more.

They have been featured in Forbes, Artnet, Gay Times, The Art Newspaper, and more. They were named a Forbes Upfront Creator, Meta “Gen Z Takes 2024” honoree, and honored by the City of West Hollywood for their artistic contributions promoting accessibility and LGBTQ+ visibility in 2025.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx