Platforms, Promotional Labor, and the Politics of Influencer (In)Visibility: Advertising Confronts Gender Colloquium

Abstract

Abstract: In her plenary address at the Advertising & Society Colloquium held at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History on November 18, 2022, Cornell University communications professor Brooke Erin Duffy discussed the precarity of women's labor as social media creators and influencers. Expanding on her work in the book (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love (Yale, 2017), she argued that the work of being an influencer is gendered, with women facing unfair criticism for being frivolous, fame obsessed, and fake. Despite the fact that these women are using talent, skill, and hard work, they are not fairly compensated for their labor. They are expected by both brands and fans to make their private lives visible. Duffy's research delves into the social and economic factors that are compelling so many people to aspire to this career. She also discusses the social construct of invisible labor and how gender, race, and class dynamics play a role in who does invisible labor and why certain work is devalued. She addresses the perils of visibility on social media platforms, particularly for women and marginalized groups who often face hate, harassment, and backlash online with little to no support from the platforms.