Viral Architecture, or the Unintentional Architecture Criticism of Social Media

Author: Ines Consuela Essen
Year: 2024 (XJTLU, Suzhou)
Source type: article
Raw file: raw/articles/essen-2024-viral-architecture.md

Summary

Essen theorizes "viral architecture" — the phenomenon by which photography, algorithms, and influencer culture on platforms like Instagram generate an "unintentional architecture criticism" that blurs the line between professional and public discourse. She distinguishes "Instagram architecture" (spaces designed for social-media shareability) from "architecture on Instagram" (the representation of traditional/iconic buildings), and analyzes the democratization and the risks (visual over functional) of this new paradigm, using Benjamin (digital aura), Lefebvre (spatial triad), Pallasmaa, Frampton, and Eisenman.

Key Claims

• Viral architecture defined: the convergence of photography, algorithms, and influencer culture on social media creates "unintentional" architectural criticism — spaces for celebration and critique outside traditional gatekeepers. Two content categories predominate: "unusual/unique" and "controversial" content.
• Instagram architecture vs. architecture on Instagram: Instagram architecture is "spaces designed for social media share ability" (restaurants, interiors prioritizing "instagrammability": bold colors, murals, lighting); architecture on Instagram is the representation of existing/traditional/iconic buildings. Data: more than half of the Top 30 landmarks are photographed from the same three angles; 55% of travelers plan itineraries around photography opportunities.
• Algorithmic amplification and echo chambers: algorithms favor high-engagement content, "potentially creating echo chambers where certain architectural styles or perspectives are repeatedly reinforced," and rewarding visual/striking content — "trending architecture."
• Influencer culture as critic: architecture influencers, with or without formal training, "shape public perception," blurring "lines between professional and public criticism"; the "gatekeepers" of criticism share the stage with everyday users.
• Digital aura: through Benjamin, mechanical reproduction gives way to social-media reproduction: "the 'aura' of architecture is simultaneously diminished through mass digital reproduction and recreated through viral distribution" — a "digital aura ... based on shareability and engagement rather than physical presence."
• Design impact and tension: firms increasingly consider "Instagrammability" as a design parameter, creating a "tension between creating shareable spaces and maintaining architectural integrity"; public spaces accommodate "photo opportunities," producing "a hierarchy of spaces based on their social media presence." Frampton's Critical Regionalism is invoked for local-vs-global tension.
• Lefebrian triad: Instagram architecture spans physical (perceived), digital (conceived), and lived (representational) space. Andong Lu's "species of spaces": occasional, incarnation, platform space.

Connections

Concepts: Viral Architecture · Instagrammability · Iconic Architecture · Spectacle · Communicative Capitalism
Authors: Ines Consuela Essen · Beatriz Colomina
Debates: Spectacle vs. Function
Related source notes: Visuality Peaks, Function Lasts (Alaily-Mattar) · Building the Picture (Baan)

Direct Quotes

"[S]tructures designed with social media share ability in mind" vs. "the representation of traditional architecture on these platforms."

"[T]he 'aura' of architecture is simultaneously diminished through mass digital reproduction and recreated through viral distribution" — a "digital aura."

"[A]rchitecture influencers ... shape public perception," blurring "lines between professional and public criticism."

"[T]he success of architectural works is increasingly measured by their social media impact."

Open Questions

• Does "viral architecture" represent democratization or new gatekeeping (algorithmic platform power) — and how does it relate to Dean's claim that circulation forecloses politics?