Cultural & Creative entrepreneurs, Identity and the COVID-19 Pandemic. An exploratory analysis of identity work with consideration of digital media in an unprecedented context

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes in all spheres of life. Looking at the Netherlands, the cultural and creative industries operate as one of the top sectors, contributing significant value to society, economy and culture. Noting how the cultural and creative industries comprise primarily of entrepreneurs and SMEs, concerns arise about how these entrepreneurs have been managing in disruptive times. This study presents findings resulting from a thematic analysis conducted on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 11 cultural and creative entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. Particular attention is set on how digital media is leveraged for managing tensions and communicating about their sense of self. In order achieve this, the concept of identity work is adopted, which is a thriving, but under researched area - especially in relation to digital media use. Where identity work is context dependent, and digital media is found to make entrepreneurial activities easier and more efficient, this research contributes to a unique research field. Hence, the research question is presented as: What kind of identity tensions have creative and cultural entrepreneurs experienced during this time of COVID-19, and how do they manage these identity tensions as part of their entrepreneurial identity work through digital media? The findings of this study contribute to, and expand upon limited extant scholarship relating to identity work and digital media, further advancing new avenues for continuation of research. The findings of this research underscore the importance of context as a point of reflection, self-assessment and entrepreneurial development contributing to identity work. Due to a loss of context, compensation was found through digital media, specifically Instagram. The COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a catalyst of change in advancing digital capabilities, yet also contributing to the complexity of identity in such that extreme or heavy digital dependencies lead to tensions in media management and identity work.