Exploring content creator incentives

This qualitative case study explores how social media platforms incentivize professional content creators by examining the incentives offered based on the four components of social media logic: programmability, datafication, popularity, and connectivity, with an additional focus on financial incentives. Using this theory of social media logic as a lens through which platform incentives are examined, this study applies a qualitative case study approach to analyze ten different social media platforms. Simultaneously, this methodological framework provides the opportunity of comprehensively understanding the features and options employed by social media platforms to stimulate content creation efforts while steering the behavior of the creators. The results of the study reveal significant findings pertaining to each component. Programmability emerges as a crucial aspect, empowering content creators by enabling profile customization and content strategizing. Through these customizable features, creators can share personal and brand-related information, facilitating audience connection and distinguishing their brands from others. This aspect of programmability not only allows for information dissemination but also serves to foster community building, as creators engage with audiences and form relationships. Popularity is employed to inform content creators on preferred actions through specific choices within platform architecture as well as articles highlighting best practices making use of content creators’ aim to attain visibility and achieve recognition. Next, through facilitating access to peers and audiences, connectivity fosters parasocial relationship building, collaboration and benchmarking tools, where data on other creators can be used as feedback for content optimization. Lastly, financial incentives, including sponsorships, donations, subscriptions, and revenue sharing, incentivize consistent content creation efforts and affective brand building on platforms. While providing sponsorships and acquiring donations from audiences allows creators to leverage their brands to form a consistent base of income, sponsorships and revenue sharing leaves creators vulnerable to platform control in order to generate revenue. The findings suggest that all four components play a role in creating and presenting incentives to professional content creators. However, as creators’ objectives for brand strengthening and content monetization increases, dependency of these incentives may limit creators' freedom in decision-making. The practical implications of this study therefore include using the findings to inform content strategy mapping, improving algorithmic literacy, and aiding strategic decision-making and audience engagement in social media. By understanding how platforms incentivize content creators, professionals in the digital media industry can navigate and optimize their efforts effectively.