INDUSTRY TENSIONS: LABOR SUBJECTIVITIES AND SELF-REINVENTION IN PLATFORM WORK

Abstract

To move beyond the framework of platform labor as either exploitative or empowering, this panel considers intricate forms of self-reinvention within the realm of cultural work. Our inquiries into the labor subjectivities that emerge from processes of adaptation to platform work are oriented around the cultures, practices, and ideals of social media influencer careers. These papers discuss the mechanisms by which different actors within the influencer industry navigate constantly changing organizational environments, a crucial aspect of what it takes for them to thrive across industries and labor markets. This involves reinventing themselves in an ever-changing technological environment, coping with being subjects of permanent control and evaluation by customers and employers, and making sense of their activities in highly-commercial environments. Consequently, notions of labor and value remain in a continuous state of contestation and redefinition within the influencer industry. The papers span topics ranging from visibility and authenticity to the reinvention of work through platform engagements, as well as the role intermediaries play in the quantification and qualification of influencer activities.