George the Poet believes that social media has changed the game of poetry forever and it’s thriving because poets are given a fairer shot than it was before.
George Mpanga, popularly known as George the Poet, is an acclaimed British spoken word artist of Ugandan descent widely for his famous work on ‘Follow the Leader’ featuring Maverick Sabre.
He is also known for opening BBC’s coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s famous wedding.
While speaking to BBC News, on World Poetry Day held annually on 21st March, George revealed that social media has been a great tool in improving communication and poetry in particular.
Platforms like YouTube help artists by giving everyone a fair shot at getting their voice out there.
George the Poet
According to statistics from UK book sales monitor Nielsen BookScan, sales of poetry books hit an all-time high of £12m last year.
Younger readers make up two-thirds of the recorded buyers.
George, who has his own podcast, believes that social media has helped artists share their thoughts on a wider scale than never before.
My career was propelled by putting my work on YouTube, and millions more can make use of the same opportunity.
He also believes that poetry is more relevant now than before because many poets are taking advantage of the opportunities social media can offer them.
Poetry is more relevant than ever. We live in times of change – right now more than ever – and poetry provides a way of tracking these changes in the journal of humanity.
Although social media platforms have allowed a lot of people to create and consume poetry, Andy Brown – a poet and Professor of Creative Writing & English at Exeter University – says it hasn’t changed much of the way professional poetry is distributed.
Read Also: Meet Mpanga the Ugandan who delivered a poem at the Prince Harry-Markel royal wedding