If depictions that circulate in popular culture are taken at face value, then careers in the so-called “Creator Economy” are proverbial dream jobs, offering flexible hours, creative autonomy, and the potential for self-actualization. In recent years, however, high-profile creators across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have vocalized the unfavorable—even If the depictions that circulate in popular culture are taken at face value, then careers in the so-called “Creator Economy” are proverbial dream jobs, offering flexibility, creative agency, and the potential for self-actualization. In recent years, however, high-profile creators across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have vocalized the unfavorable—even detrimental—conditions of platform-dependent work: income instability, “always on” labor demands, and experiences with hate and harassment. It’s no small wonder that industry reports and popular press pieces have constructed “creator burnout” as a distinct (albeit loosely defined) condition. Accordingly, this research considers how creators discuss burnout, mental health, and occupational risk in various contexts. We draw upon two sources of data: 1). in-depth interviews with full-time social media creators (n=50); and 2). creators’ public disclosures of career-related mental health and wellness (n=30). Using the framework of un/speakability, we consider creators’ confessions across three levels: what creators share with us as researchers; what creators disclose in public media; and, finally, what they communicate in their branded social media content. We then consider the economic logics and power dynamics that structure speakability. In other words, who can speak out—and to whom?

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This study contributes to platform and digital labor studies by examining how social media platforms (SMPs) manage content creators (CCs) through “organizational professionalism.” Julia Evetts (2013), an author on the neo-Weberian sociology of professions, has proposed this seminal ideal-type as a heuristic construct to address management discourse that disciplines workers through mechanisms of occupational identity and self-control, such as standardization, goal setting, and performance indicators. Organizational professionalism is demonstrated by describing competencies, which are the achievements, outputs, or deliveries generated when individuals mobilize and combine relevant resources to fulfill professional demands in a particular context (Le Boterf, 2000).

Using a grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2014), we analyzed 400 text and video transcripts of sessions instructing content creators on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to identify the competencies recommended by SMPs. The data analysis revealed 52 competencies arranged into eleven groups. Finally, we structured the data in accordance with Gioia et al.'s (2013) recommendations, identifying three aggregate dimensions of competencies: (1) complying with usage and monetization rules, (2) strategic content production and audience management, and (3) navigating creative and emotional challenges.

Each competency dimension addresses the platform's interests and is critical to the creator's career prospects. So organizational professionalism works as a subtle but effective way to keep creators in line with the business goals of the platform while still giving the impression of independence and entrepreneurship. By doing so, SMPs not only overburden content creators but also shape the new occupation.

Content creators have become essential players and disruptors in social media ecosystems and society at large. By examining how content creators make sense of these ecosystems, this article offers a conceptual and analytical framework that broadens the scope of existing analyses of their content strategies and activities. Using cognitive, behavioral, and experiential factors, we investigate the belief systems of creators. Creators’ belief systems are examined in relation to different facets of social media ecosystems, representing both mundane and supernatural sense-making approaches. Through examples based on a qualitative pilot study, we illustrate how different belief systems affect the choices made by content creators and impact the ecosystem as a whole. Our paper contributes to the field of creator research in three ways: we outline a single social media ecosystem to locate creators' objects of belief; we offer an analytical approach to investigate mundane and supernatural sense-making domains of creators' beliefs and belief systems, and we connect them to larger socio-technical disruptions brought about by digitalization.

The proliferation of beauty filters on digital platforms has transformed self-presentation practices, yet their prevalence and impact on older users remains underexplored. This study investigates why older content creators on Douyin engage with beauty filters, interrogating the emotional, social, and structural dynamics of digital ageism. Through in-depth interviews with twelve creators and participant observation of two individuals, the research reveals how older adults use filters to navigate algorithmic constraints, societal stigma, and self-perception. This research brings together work on visibility with aging and digital cultures to understand the role of filters in older content creator’s practices. Findings demonstrate that filters serve as tools for social recognition as well as emotional well-being and resistance against ageist invisibility, simultaneously reinforce youth-centric norms. By situating filter use within frameworks of digital ageism, this study highlights the paradox of digital visibility: older content creators balance authenticity with enhancement to negotiate their place in a youth-dominated ecosystem. The results advocate for inclusive design and algorithmic accountability to challenge systemic and aesthetic ageism in digital cultures.