This study looks at the online community of crochet content creators on Instagram and the tension between creativity and the demands of online digital labour. Using a multimethod ethnographic approach of semi-structured in-depth interviews and online ethnography, the research aims to analyse the experiences of these creators and see how they navigate maintaining their online presence and satisfying their creative passions. Using the theoretical framework of digital labour and authenticity, the research explores the ways in which Instagram shapes trends and practices within the online handicraft community, by either influencing creative processes and fostering a sense of belonging among users or imposing trends and limiting creative expressions. The blurring of borders between leisure and labour and the real and virtual also come into play in the analysis. The analysis looks at the strategies employed by craft content creators to maintain a balance between work and personal life and other perspectives such as identity, authenticity, the online community, love for the creative craft, and job satisfaction. The results find that personal boundaries are drawn by the creators after experience has made them understand these to be necessary. It is also found that the digital labour they perform is ultimately perceived to be less exploitative and laborious than more traditional forms of work, making it still cemented as a dream job regardless of financial insecurities that may accompany it. This study has implications for the future as ideas of exploitation of online work may be underestimating the positive aspects for creative communities and artists.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-532739 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Larsson, Hannah |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Medier och kommunikation |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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