Governing Writers: Authorial Subjectivity and Hope Labor in the Platformized Media Ecosystem

Key Points

• The research aims to explore how creators navigate subjectivity and governance within platformized media ecosystems, focusing on authorial identity and the mechanisms involved.
• Analyzed the case of the publishing platform 'Brunch' to understand its impact on creators.
• Investigated the dual structures of algorithmic power and institutional validation in publishing.
• Examined creators' self-regulation through the concept of self-technique in response to conflicting norms.
• Identified how platforms like Brunch incorporate traditional publishing authority, affecting creator autonomy.
• Found that creators engage in hope labor by investing in uncertain outcomes from their self-authorship efforts.
• Revealed the tension between democratization through platforms and the reproduction of cultural hierarchies.

Abstract