Towards a new social media model: redistribution of power in the subscription-based creator economy

• Název práce v češtině: Směrem k novému modelu sociálních médií: přerozdělení moci v ekonomice tvůrců založené na předplatném
• Název v anglickém jazyce: Towards a new social media model: redistribution of power in the subscription-based creator economy
• Klíčová slova: digitální kapitalismus|ekonomika tvůrců|uživateli vytvářený obsah|kapitalismus dohledu|společnost spektáklu|egalitářství
• Klíčová slova anglicky: Keywords: digital capitalism|creator economy|user-generated content|surveillance capitalism|spectacle society|egalitarianism
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2022/2023
• Typ práce: diplomová práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Ústav anglofonních literatur a kultur (21-UALK)
• Vedoucí / školitel: doc. Erik Sherman Roraback, D.Phil.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno a potvrzeno stud. odd.
• Datum přihlášení: 24.05.2023
• Datum zadání: 24.05.2023
• Schválení administrátorem: bylo schváleno
• Datum potvrzení stud. oddělením: 25.05.2023
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 08.02.2024 00:00
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 15.12.2023
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 08.02.2024
• Odevzdaná/finalizovaná: odevzdaná studentem a finalizovaná
• Oponenti: Mgr. David Vichnar, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

Digital tech giants, headed by Google have hijacked the Web 2.0 revolution by centralizing user-generated content on a handful of platforms controlled by the whims of advertisers. What was once hoped to be a free social Internet emancipating users from all walks of life to contribute, has been quietly harnessed into a process in which individuals are cast as a means to others’ market ends. Quietly - because it still posits itself as a space where users can exercise control, yet everywhere that control is thwarted. The new user-generated web became an infinite stream of disembodied images curated by algorithms and optimized to distract, collecting the valuable watch time of millions of passive consumers with radically increasing screen time and equally decreasing attention spans. The ability of private companies to exploit the users’ online interactions is what has driven the success of this new digital economy, transforming the very way we interact with the Internet. The era of social media monopolies has had a detrimental effect on our collective digital experience, resulting in online spaces that promote consumerism, commodify human experiences, and encourage political polarization. I would argue that we’re currently at a cultural tipping point in which new models of online interactions are emerging driven by the demands of an oversaturated market. One such system that has been steadily gaining traction in the last few years is a subscription model, where users choose to support their favorite creators directly, cutting out the ad-man in the middle. Patreon, the oldest and most well-known service for supporting creators, the creator-owned video-hosting website Nebula and most recently, a blogging and newsletter platform Substack all employ subscriptions as their main revenue source. In April 2023 Substack launched their new product Notes, which is marketed as a direct competitor to Twitter, utilizing similar features (short text content in a stream, ability to like, share, and comment) and a very familiar UI, with the only difference being its subscriber-supported model, instead of the ad one. Substack pedals this as part of their mission “to build a new economic engine for culture”, in which people and creators have the power, and the success is driven by the audience’s trust instead of line-go-ups in stakeholders’ meetings. But does this model signal the real distribution of power and is it possible to liberate the social Internet from the shackles of digital capitalism?
In this thesis, I would like to analyze the two economic models of social media through the lens of power and agency. For too long our interactions with the mainstream internet have been passive, producing a feedback loop of sorts, in which algorithms feed us content designed to appease the algorithm. I will explore the new kind of reality produced by the digital totalitarianism of Google and Facebook and analyze what power in the hands of a handful of corporations has done for society, online discourse, censorship, people’s relationship with media, and consumer habits. I intend to trace the evolution of the creator economy, focusing mainly on the creator and influencer culture of the major social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, outlining the growing readiness of mainstream audiences to move away from existing systems. The second part of this thesis will focus on the newly proposed subscription model on the use case of Patreon, Nebula, and Substack and will attempt to answer the question: can the direct subscription model solve the issues of digital capitalism? Could this case present a real shift in power? Is it possible to reimagine our social interactions on the internet and create a healthier economic model? Will the paywall -- an inherently unequal model -- be able to create a social and egalitarian Internet, or is this just another case of capitalism folding in anti-capitalist sentiments into a consumer product? This topic deals with fresh models and ideas, most of which are unraveling in real-time. While it may be difficult to find peer-reviewed resources on the most recent state of affairs, most of the concepts and theoretical foundations have been covered by critical theorists since at least the 40s.

Seznam odborné literatury

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