When Algorithms Determine Careers

The new research project “Creator Careers – Umgang mit Unsicherheiten im Social Media Entertainment“ (dealing with uncertainty in social media entertainment) at USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten examines how content creators meet the challenges of social media platforms and which strategies help them to establish lasting artistic and commercial career paths.

Careers in the cultural and creative industries have always been characterised by uncertainties. Still, the rise of social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and Facebook further intensified the challenges faced by creative minds. Recommendation algorithms, strong competitive pressure, and virtually unpredictable success factors make it hard for creative persons to strategically plan their content or build their career in the longer term.

The new research project “Creator Careers – Umgang mit Unsicherheiten im Social Media Entertainment” at USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten explores production strategies, career paths, and power structures in the creator economy. The research team headed by Andreas Gebesmair wants to create a scientific basis for the further development of platform regulation and new socioeconomic perspectives on digital culture production.

“For quite some time now, the creator economy has been a marginal phenomenon no longer, but rather a central part of today’s culture and media landscape. Despite this fact, we know surprisingly little about how creators actually design their career and which strategies help them to deal with uncertainties”, says Andreas Gebesmair, project manager at the Institute of Creative\Media/Technologies and lecturer in USTP’s Department of Media and Digital Technologies.

“With our research project, we want to close this knowledge gap and create a sound basis – for science, for politics, and everyone who is professionally active on digital platforms.”

New Methods for the Analysis of Digital Platforms

‘Creator Careers’ ties up with insights gained from traditional cultural industries such as film and music and expands them to include an innovative research design: YouTube creators’ data is collected using an API (Application Programming Interface), that is, a programming interface to the platform. This data is manually enriched and statistically analysed with additional information that is available online.

How Creators Manage Uncertainties

In this way, the research team wants to find out what suitable strategies of platform economy might look like – a research field that has received little attention so far. The researchers in the project analyse central questions like: “How do creators learn from each other?”, “What role do agencies, networks, experts, or initiatives play?”, “How important are cooperations?”, or “Are female creators systematically disadvantaged?”

First Project Findings

The first interim results were presented during a panel discussion at the ICMT – Institute of Creative\Media/Technologies in December. Under the title “How is the creator economy reshaping media and culture?”, experts discussed current developments in the creator economy.

The focus was on three trends:

• YouTube is mostly used by established, highly professional creators, while TikTok and Instagram serve as the primary entry-level platforms for young content creators.
• Borders are becoming blurred: More and more creators switch between social media and traditional media formats – from TV appearances to the publication of books.
• Local identity is gaining in importance: Dialects and regional content are experiencing a comeback, especially on TikTok and Instagram.

During the first advisory board meeting, the project team presented its methods and first results to an international circle of experts. The feedback from the board members coming from the fields of science, platform economy, and creative industry will be incorporated into the project’s further development.

About Creator Careers

“Creator Careers – Dealing with Uncertainty in Social Media Entertainment” is a research project of USTP. It has a duration of three years and receives funding from the Austria Science Fund (FWF).

The project’s advisory board is made up of experts from several European higher education institutions, leading universities, and from the practice of platform and creative industries. Together, they accompany the research project with their advice.

For all details regarding the project and its advisory board, please refer to our research website.

The Right for Universities of Applied Sciences to Award PhDs

The Austrian University of Applied Sciences Conference (FHK) demands that universities of applied sciences in Austria be granted the right award PhDs. USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten supports this demand. The research fields of media and digital technologies as well as IT security are very well established at USTP and have been strongly expanded over the past few years. For us at USTP, it is essential to be able to offer independent PhD programmes in this field. Universities of applied sciences are closely connected with businesses and regional structures. PhD candidates drive key technologies and innovations that flow into industry, SMEs, and the economy. Regions benefit through stronger local ties, and companies through practice-oriented research.