Self-representation as platform work: Stories about working as social media content creators

Abstract

Blogs and social media sharing platforms like YouTube and Instagram have become increasingly popular in recent years, and they also have become an outlet for income generation. In this paper, we focus on what stories content creators share about their professional activities on social media and what self-image and narratives they draw about their work as content creators. Based on a content analysis of blog and video posts as well as semi-structured interviews conducted with content creators in Germany, we identified a specific ‘professional creator narrative’ that serves the purpose of reconciling contradictory demands from their audience, sponsors and platforms. Our findings indicate that constructing those narratives helps to justify their activities and thus is an essential part of working as a content creator.