Description
Profound transformations in our digital society have brought many enterprising women to social media platforms—from blogs to YouTube to Instagram—in hopes of channeling their talents into fulfilling careers. On this eye-opening book, Brooke Erin Duffy draws much-needed attention to the space between the handful who find lucrative careers and the remainder, whose “passion projects” amount to free work for corporate brands.
Drawing on interviews and fieldwork, Duffy offers fascinating insights into the work and lives of fashion bloggers, beauty vloggers, and designers. She connects the activities of these women to greater shifts in unpaid and gendered labor, offering a lens wherein to take note, anticipate, and critique broader transformations within the creative economy. At a moment when social media offer the rousing assurance that any one can “make it”—and stand out among freelancers, temps, and gig workers—Duffy asks us all to imagine the stakes of not getting paid to do what you love.