Radiography of microinfluencers in the digital platform economy: dissatisfaction, free labor and unequal remuneration

Abstract

Introduction: Influencers have emerged as new prescribers and digital workers who build strong communities for advertisers. Microinfluencers, who have between 5,000 and 40,000 followers, are used by brands to impact small but highly engaged digital communities. This research explores the relationship between time investment, digital impact and economic remuneration of microinfluencers' digital activity to understand new forms of labor precarity. Methodology: To this end, 34 microinfluencers have been studied through the monitoring of their digital profiles, measuring engagement and EMV, and through a questionnaire to find out their satisfaction, time invested, and economic remuneration. In addition, a second study was conducted on the digital activity of 21 popular influencers. Results and discussion: The results identify the precariousness conditions that microinfluencers face in a quantitative perspective. Besides, the analysis indicates that microinfluencers are dissatisfied due to three factors: the relationship between time invested and economic remuneration, the need to create publications without generating income, and the disproportionate relationship between the size of their community, the link they produce with their followers, and the benefits compared to celebrity influencers. Conclusions: The findings contribute to build on the preceding literature on false meritocracy and retribution through visibility and social capital at the expense of precarious working conditions within a neoliberal digital economy.