Divergent pathways of monetising rural identities on social media platforms: a relational work perspective

This article engages with one central theme in studies on content creators on social media platforms: the tension between authenticity and commercialisation of creator identities. The existing research pays inadequate attention to how the tension varies for creators of different identities and thus cannot explain why some creators successfully monetise their identities in the influencer economy. Drawing on a relational understanding of authenticity and a relational work approach to economic activities, this article reveals that creators reconcile authenticity and commercialisation when they achieve a match between identity construction and monetisation model in the creator–follower relationship. Two cases of rural creators illustrate the argument. One receives moral support from the audience to produce sponsored content for its representation of realistic social issues, while another establishes friend-like relationships with followers to build trust and facilitate e-commerce. This article advances a relational understanding of the digital media economy from an economic sociology perspective.