Positioning the Online Musician The Development of Self-Identities of Dutch Musicians on Social Media

Social media fundamentally alters identity construction by multiplying levels of mediation and facilitating interaction, understanding the means and affordances of social media for co-constructing and upholding an identity becomes essential for understanding how current day musicians construct, revise and alter their identities through identity work. However, there is a paucity of research concerning the identities specifically created for online spheres from the musicians’ perspective. Therefore, this research contributes to filling this gap by focusing on the narration of their online identity over social media. This research starts from the research question: how do Dutch musicians develop their selfidentity through narrative identity work over social media? Eleven qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with various Dutch musicians and two additional interviews with experts within the field. After performing a thematic content analysis, the results prove that self-identity depends on and is constructed by a variety of intertwined factors related to current trends and changes over time. Identities are influenced by and dependent on events, lifelong experiences, audiences, platforms, and more, within the personal as well professional spheres. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy, as each musician needs to find their personal unique selling point. Online self-narratives are created in order to position their ever-changing identities within a logical, comprehensive story. However, the pressure to maintain these self-narratives in an active and successful manner is high. Ultimately, visibility and relevancy are key in order to survive as a musician, both online and offline, and they beat the difficulties and pressure of social media. The online self-representation of Dutch musicians and their narrative identity work are thus in constant motion, brand-dependent and never fixed.