Journalism and social media in creator economies: Evolving structures and labor

Abstract

Amid journalism’s business model crisis and the rise of creator economies, this article examines how legacy journalism and social media converge under neoliberal platform capitalism, reshaping industry structures, labor conditions, and journalism’s democratic role. Drawing on a thematic analysis of 19 in-depth interviews with US-based journalists, social media editors, and independent news creators, it integrates critical political economy of media approaches with journalism and creator studies to analyze how workers navigate unstable revenue models, platform governance, and technological disruption. The findings reveal intersecting business- and labor-oriented crises characterized by algorithmic control, low pay, unpaid work, and varying degrees of autonomy and collective protection. While newsroom workers experience structural rigidity, independent creators—akin to freelance journalists—face intensified self-exploitation and financial risk through individualized branding and visibility pressures. Neoliberal platform capitalism reconfigures journalism labor around precarity, entrepreneurialism, and self-management, underscoring the need for sustainable public interventions to safeguard journalism’s democratic role.