New Books in Critical Theory Sophie Bishop, "Influencer Creep: How Optimization, Authenticity, and Self-Branding Transform Creative Culture" (U California Press, 2025)
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Nov 12, 2025 In this intriguing discussion, Sophie Bishop, an Associate Professor at the University of Leeds, unpacks how influencers are reshaping the arts. She delves into 'influencer creep,' where artists adopt marketing techniques to thrive online. Highlighting unreliable platforms, she reveals the emotional labor behind authenticity and the pressures of commercial intermediaries. Sophie also explores how AI and TikTok amplify these dynamics, posing new visibility challenges for artists. A rich conversation about the intersection of creativity and social media!
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Influencer Strategies Spread Into Art Worlds
- Influencer techniques have spread beyond niche creators into wider creative fields like art.
- Sophie Bishop calls this cultural diffusion 'influencer creep' explaining its broad effects on creative labor.
Platforms Prioritize Advertisers Over Creators
- Platforms rely on advertisers and optimize for engagement, not creator needs.
- Creators have no guaranteed ownership of their audience because algorithms control visibility.
COVID Followers Didn’t Guarantee Income
- During COVID many artists gained followers, then lost visibility when algorithms shifted.
- Some artists quit jobs expecting sales from audiences that platforms later failed to deliver.
