Governing the Resilient Self

Influencers' Digital Affective Labor in Quarantine Vlogs

Bibliographic Data

ID2414775
AuthorsAlkım Yalın (0000-0003-2205-8724, University of Massachusetts Amherst, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume10
Issue2
Publication date2024-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Media + Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2056-3051 • E-ISSN: 2056-3051
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/20563051241247749
OpenAlexW4396698768
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited27

This article explores quarantine vlogs on YouTube to examine the cultural production of influencers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. By using a grounded theory approach to analyze 9 quarantine vlogs filmed by woman creators along with 480 user comments, this article argues that quarantine vlogs are shaped by influencers' competing desires of (1) offering care and soothing content to the viewers and (2) instrumentalizing the discontents of the pandemic moment as a neoliberal device to preserve their aspirational self. In quarantine vlogs, influencers interact with their audiences by recognizing the emotional and mental strains of navigating the pandemic or their relative privilege, while they reframe the pandemic experience as an opportunity for productivity and self-growth. Consequently, influencers engage in significant affective labor and self-governance during a global health crisis to establish a resilient persona and maintain their online visibility

Business · Influencer marketing · Internet privacy · Computer Science · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Emotional Labor in Professions · Employment and Welfare Studies · Marketing

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Open DOIOpen Access