Gurus, Hucksters, Entertainers: How Influencers Reshaped Social Media
Forthcoming Fall 2026, University of Chicago Press

An illuminating investigation of the complex work of social media content creators—their lives, conflicts, and controversies.

In this eye-opening book, digital studies scholar Angèle Christin demystifies the “content creator” economy, explaining its long history and the pitfalls of its professionalization. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork with digital influencers as varied as vegan YouTubers, dads of Instagram, and self-described drama makers, Christin tells the story of how individuals enter social media creation, how they make money, and how their online environments shape the content they produce.

Aspiring creators often dream of a better life in social media careers. Yet these dreams soon turn into exhaustion as influencers try to meet the contradictory demands of platforms, brands, and audiences. Over time, Christin shows, creators cluster into three types— “hucksters” who work on behalf of brands, “entertainers” who chase virality and platform payments, and “gurus” who monetize the loyalty of their fans. Platform dynamics push entertainers and gurus to create extreme and incendiary content to maintain audience engagement, while brands and marketers nudge hucksters toward repetitive, staid commercial performances. Concerns about algorithmic manipulation and conflicts between creators further leads to reputation-damaging, harassment-laden scandals. Christin reveals how platform labor repeatedly—and structurally—creates precarity and inequality, destructive drama, and inflammatory content online.

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