Relational platform entrepreneurs: Live commerce and the 818 Jiazu

Abstract

This paper explores the emerging platform entrepreneurship through an observational case study of one of the most prominent Kuaishou influencers, Xin Youzhi, and his 818 jiazu. Jiazus are influencer communities on Kuaishou, a Chinese livestreaming and e-commerce platform. Examining platform entrepreneurs through a relational lens, we illustrate the organisation and operation of the 818 jiazu and its interaction with the followers, the Kuaishou platform and the Chinese state. Identifying relations of mutuality, autonomy and domination, we find that 818 kiazu’s rise and fall manifest the relationality and contingency of entrepreneurial labours in the Chinese platform economy. We argue that Kuaishou jiazu can be understood as relational entrepreneurs who need new sociotechnical skills to navigate various relationships with the platform, users and state regulations. Our study contributes to understanding the organisation and practices of livestreamers by foregrounding the entrepreneurial agency of the influencer community.

Live-Streamer as Digital Labor: A Systematic Review

“…Wang [18] illustrated how the platform algorithmic structures like trending metrics push streamers to imitate popular streamer to perform themselves, transfer streamers into monetizable performative workers. This is in line with Lu and Wang's [7] observation that the 'apprentice' streamers, who work under confidential or informal agreements, follow a set of norms to perform as duties to gain traffic and virtual gift. It is essential to note that, while platform infrastructure and algorithmic affordances shape streamers' self-promotion practices, their performative labor generates data traffic on which the platform can monetize, thereby directly pointing to commodification [7,8,21] 4) Creative labor.…”

“…This is in line with Lu and Wang's [7] observation that the 'apprentice' streamers, who work under confidential or informal agreements, follow a set of norms to perform as duties to gain traffic and virtual gift. It is essential to note that, while platform infrastructure and algorithmic affordances shape streamers' self-promotion practices, their performative labor generates data traffic on which the platform can monetize, thereby directly pointing to commodification [7,8,21] 4) Creative labor. Creative labor refers to the challenge that streamers must overcome to brand themselves to audiences, sponsors, and potential customers in the platform-driven culture production.…”

“…Shimshak [6] studied the visual iconographies of how female live streamers who engage in sexual labor perform themselves by combining visual analysis with internet ethnography. Lu and Wang [7] mix critical discourse analysis of Kuaishou's media stories and official reports with ethnography to understand the evolvement of entrepreneurial streamers during the platform's transformations.…”

“…Wang [15] criticized "aspirational labor" which emphasizes the promise of future benefits, by highlighting the exploitative character of relational labor, since female streamers' dependency on virtual gifting from wealthy males indicates their limited options. Furthermore, Lu and Wang [7] complement the theory by adding that streamers not only need to navigate followers, but also platform and government in the multi-faceted relational structure in which their agency intertwines with the broader platform ecology. 2) Emotional labor/ Affective labor.…”

“…Researchers demonstrate how streamers adhere to platform guidelines, which are monitored by algorithmic detection systems to continuously monitor and modify their behavior [7,39]. Platforms use a variety of algorithmic and manual behavioral monitoring and content moderation techniques that reflecting panoptic surveillance.…”