标记谁的生活:小红书平台脚本与数字灵工

数字灵工依托社交媒体平台进行内容创作,平台的技术特征、脚本和机制深深嵌入数字灵工内容创作的各个方面,平台对于内容创作、文化生产以及数字灵工自主性具有极大的影响。为了探究平台如何隐秘地介入和操控数字灵工的内容创作过程,以及平台如何从创作者的工具转变为创作者的控制者这一角色演变,本研究以小红书平台为例,借助了平台技术脚本的视角,采用算法民族志的研究方法对小红书平台上的蒲公英平台、薯条服务、创作学院等机制进行探究,并对平台上官方账号发布的诸如社区规范等419条官方笔记进行文本分析。研究发现小红书平台通过把控数字灵工与品牌商、数字灵工与粉丝之间的联系,确立平台自身在平台化内容创作场中的强势地位。同时,小红书平台通过创作学院的课程、创作权益的逐步发放、理想用户的打造来进一步规训、调度数字灵工的内容创作模式及话题。在此基础上,数字灵工的自主性被进一步减损,平台由创作者的工具变成了新的权力装置,显示出平台在形塑社会文化以及流行话语上不容忽视的力量。

Content creators rely on social media platforms,and platforms’technical affordances,scripts,and mechanisms are deeply embedded in the whole process of content creation.Platforms’influence on content creation,cultural production,and the agency of content creators should be given enough attention.To probe how platforms manipulate the process of content creation and transform from content creators’tools to power systems,this study takes Xiaohongshu as an example and employs the algorithm ethnography method to analyze the vision and settings of Xiaohongshu.Besides,this study also collects 419 posts from Xiaohongshu’s offcial accounts and conducts text analysis.Focusing on the technology scripts of Xiaohongshu,this study explores how the platform establishes its powerful position in the platform-based content creation by controlling the connection among content creators,brand promotion,and fans.Also,this study reveals how Xiaohongshu further disciplines and herds these content creators through the tutorials in the creator college and promoting a healthy usership.As a result,these content creators only have contingent agency,and the platform operates as a power system to shape the cultural production and content creation.