💄 Week 8: the algorithm doesn't think I'm cute enough? Ughhh, DELETE that selfie !!!
Nyeahhh, selfies are for the hot people like for example ME 💅 ! Apparently... the effort of behind a new post isn't just for the aesthetic. iT's lAbOuRrRrrr. How emotional, strategic and deeply performative.
Aesthetic labour? what's that? Basically, it's the emotional and visual work required to present yourself in a way that fits the platforms standard of trends. i mean LOOKS MATTER right? since visual-first platform like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube existed for a reason... It's the part where the algorithm rewards users who align with dominant beauty norms.
Less authentic self-expression and more "what gets you seen" like ughhh, you know what i meant. It's self branding according to Marwick (2013) - users adopt influencer strategies to stay visible from posing, lighting, filters, angles , just all of it to the kind of unpaid performance.
All of that hard-work... The paycheck? Indeed, questionable... 🧍♂️
📲 Micro-celebrity & platform culture... Every user is a brand, you don't need to be famous - just be consistent, curated and clickable. However, I'll admit that it is pressuring to fit the aesthetic of the industry.
✨You are not posting for fun, it's your job, your role ✨
It's sO wEiRd that the lecture broke down on how this visibility of future affects our mental health as well as body image. It's not what it looks like — it's about needing to look that way to be seen. As for Mavroudis (2020) mentioned that this is the rising anxiety around physical appearance, especially when "success" online means to CONFORMING the algorithm's approved aesthetics or trends.
🔞 okay, this is awkward... Pornification....
As described by Drenten & Gurrieri (2019), it is the pressure to adopt sexualised aesthetics — commonly received from women and femmes that mirror the look of commercial porn. (Exaggerated curves, pouty lips, sultry poses)
Either way that kind of content itself is curated for visibility — not comforting in any other way. What's worst? The platform are so complicated !!! Ughhh, the algorithm is being biased you know 😒 !? Queer influencers, trans people and basically anyone who don't fit the cis-het white beauty standards are sOoOoo getting shadow-banned & ignored...
It's all about navigating systemic invisibility 💅
😒 sO, wHaT dOes tHiS hAvE tO dO wiTH diGitAL cItiZeNsHiP ?
this isn't just about what you post — it's supposed to be what platforms to let you be you! cOmE oN, tHiS iS 2025, what kind of "participation" is that if you have to pretend to be the "you" that people you see online.
Now it's all about being your true self !!!
Are we supposed to shape our digital selves, or just surviving in some platforms dumb algorithm?
References :
Marwick, A. E. (2013, January). Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281668405_Status_Update_Celebrity_Publicity_and_Branding_in_the_Social_Media_Age
Abidin, C. (2016). Visibility labour: Engaging with Influencers’ fashion brands and #OOTD advertorial campaigns on Instagram. Media International Australia, 161(1), 86–100.
Miguel, C., Clare, C., Ashworth, C. J., & Hoang, D. (2023). Self-branding and Content Creation Strategies on Instagram: a Case Study of Foodie Influencers. Information, Communication & Society, 27(8), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2023.2246524
Drenten, J., Gurrieri, L., & Tyler, M. (2019). Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(1), 41–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12354
Duffy, B. E., & Meisner, C. (2022). Platform Governance at the margins: Social Media Creators’ Experiences with Algorithmic (in)visibility. Media, Culture & Society, 45(2), 285–304. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111923
Khamis, S., Ang, L., & Welling, R. (2016, August). Self-branding, “micro-celebrity” and the rise of Social Media Influencers. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306922796_Self-branding_











