{"title":"Freelancers’ Self-Branding: Is a More Analytical Profile Always Better?","authors":"Xiaoti Yue, Hong Hong","doi":"10.1177/08944393251362246","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Establishing a successful brand on online labor platforms is crucial for freelancers. It helps them attract clients and secure a steady stream of income. Freelancers can maintain their self-branding by adjusting the self-introduction text on their profiles. However, the style of self-branding that contributes to career advancement remains unclear. In this study, we examine the impact of analytical writing on building successful self-branding success. We use LIWC to analyze 7860 profile overviews from 1965 Upwork freelancers collected over four consecutive months. The empirical results show that a highly analytical writing style in these profiles has a negative effect on freelance earnings. Furthermore, we explore the heterogeneity of this effect. We find that higher education and more extensive experience of freelancers mitigate this negative impact, while higher job success scores and top freelancer badges amplify it. Our findings provide guidance for various stakeholders in the online labor market, including freelancers and platform owners, and contribute to the literature on the freelance labor market.","PeriodicalId":49509,"journal":{"name":"Social Science Computer Review","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Social Science Computer Review","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393251362246","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Establishing a successful brand on online labor platforms is crucial for freelancers. It helps them attract clients and secure a steady stream of income. Freelancers can maintain their self-branding by adjusting the self-introduction text on their profiles. However, the style of self-branding that contributes to career advancement remains unclear. In this study, we examine the impact of analytical writing on building successful self-branding success. We use LIWC to analyze 7860 profile overviews from 1965 Upwork freelancers collected over four consecutive months. The empirical results show that a highly analytical writing style in these profiles has a negative effect on freelance earnings. Furthermore, we explore the heterogeneity of this effect. We find that higher education and more extensive experience of freelancers mitigate this negative impact, while higher job success scores and top freelancer badges amplify it. Our findings provide guidance for various stakeholders in the online labor market, including freelancers and platform owners, and contribute to the literature on the freelance labor market.
期刊介绍:
Unique Scope Social Science Computer Review is an interdisciplinary journal covering social science instructional and research applications of computing, as well as societal impacts of informational technology. Topics included: artificial intelligence, business, computational social science theory, computer-assisted survey research, computer-based qualitative analysis, computer simulation, economic modeling, electronic modeling, electronic publishing, geographic information systems, instrumentation and research tools, public administration, social impacts of computing and telecommunications, software evaluation, world-wide web resources for social scientists. Interdisciplinary Nature Because the Uses and impacts of computing are interdisciplinary, so is Social Science Computer Review. The journal is of direct relevance to scholars and scientists in a wide variety of disciplines. In its pages you''ll find work in the following areas: sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, psychology, computer literacy, computer applications, and methodology.