MANUFACTURING INFLUENCERS: THE REVOLUTIONARY ROLES OF MCNS (MULTI-CHANNEL NETWORKS) IN THE PLATFORM ECONOMY

Abstract

This study examines how MCNs (Multi-Channel Networks) intervene in the platform economy by manufacturing influencers. Previous studies have explored the emergence of influencers and creators from various perspectives, including platformization, creative labor, and algorithmic power. However, little attention has been paid to another crucial player – MCNs which incubate and train influencers on an industrial scale. MCNs are firms and organizations that collaborate with influencers to facilitate the production, promotion, and monetization of creative content. They serve not only as incubators for micro-entrepreneurs and influencers looking to establish their businesses, but also as a key intermediary between influencers and other stakeholders on platforms. This study combines in-depth interviews with documented lawsuits to explore the role of MCNs in the platform economy, as well as their relationships with influencers. The findings suggest that MCNs significantly shape the platform economy through three strategies: manufacturing influencers, spreading industry lore, and exploiting creativity. On one hand, MCNs help established influencers maintain their success and reduce the risk of creativity while exploiting the labor of aspirants who struggle to enter the platform economy. As such, they constitute a power imbalance by providing business for successful influencers and increasing precarity for ordinary influencers. On the other hand, MCNs continue to expand their business scopes to meet the needs of various stakeholders, mainly platforms, advertisers, and brands. Consequently, MCNs have the ability to facilitate the relationship between these actors, industrialize aspiring influencers, and determine who can participate in creative labor.