{"product_id":"influencer-creep-how-optimization-authenticity-and-self-branding-transform-creative-culture-hardcover","title":"Influencer Creep: How Optimization, Authenticity, and Self-Branding Transform Creative Culture - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSophie Bishop\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA look at how the rise of influencer culture has changed creative work\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A sculptor works while wearing a GoPro camera to capture Instagram content. A painter decides whether to make pieces that she won't be able to share on Instagram, after her account was blocked for sharing \"sexualized\" content. An artist finds that her portraits of light-skinned women get an algorithmic boost over those featuring dark-skinned models. These creative workers are now using the content-generation skills and promotional strategies pioneered by influencers to compete for visibility online. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eInfluencer Creep\u003c\/i\u003e explores what happens when creative workers must go beyond their work to build a comprehensive online presence. Creator studies expert Sophie Bishop delineates how the tactics of professional influencers affect the ways creative workers navigate social media platforms. They must optimize their content to win the favor of opaque algorithms they do not control. They must engage in relentless self-branding, creating a compelling, consistent, and platform-ready image. And that image, in spite of being carefully manufactured, must be perceived as authentic. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Taking seriously the motivations that drive more and more people into the contest for online visibility, \u003ci\u003eInfluencer Creep\u003c\/i\u003e documents a creative workforce nervously conforming to the monopoly power of social media platforms--and occasionally resisting it.\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth a page-turner and a thorough academic study. Drawing on ethnographic research and interviews with influencers and artists, Sophie Bishop astutely and creatively combines theoretical reflection with lively examples of how influencer practices and strategies are increasingly used in professional and everyday life.--Thomas Poell, coauthor of \u003ci\u003ePlatforms and Cultural Production\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"In this rich, sympathetic study of influencer culture, Bishop shows how algorithmic systems are brought to life by the people who inhabit them. As more kinds of work are drawn into algorithmic orbits, the struggles and strategizing of influencers are, as Bishop ably demonstrates, relevant to us all.\"--Nick Seaver, author of \u003ci\u003eComputing Taste: Algorithms and the Makers of Music Recommendation\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Drawing from conversations across sociology and media studies, \u003ci\u003eInfluencer Creep\u003c\/i\u003e brings Howard Becker's \u003ci\u003eArt Worlds\u003c\/i\u003e into the present day, where creative industries are increasingly mediated by social media platforms. Bishop reveals how artists, especially women, package their daily lives and work as 'content' as they seek to cash in on the promises and sidestep the perils of platformized creative work. I will be citing, teaching, and--dare I say--posting about \u003ci\u003eInfluencer Creep\u003c\/i\u003e for years to come.\"--Hannah Wohl, author of \u003ci\u003eBound by Creativity: How Contemporary Art Is Created and Judged\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSophie Bishop\u003c\/b\u003e is Associate Professor in Media and Communication at the University of Leeds and former Specialist Advisor to the UK Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. She is a contributor to the \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the BBC, \u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, and other outlets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 280\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.75 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 28, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44848048898150,"sku":"9780520402713","price":184.84,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/h_OGUH4dqQ9780520402713.webp?v=1772730319","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/influencer-creep-how-optimization-authenticity-and-self-branding-transform-creative-culture-hardcover","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}