"Follow the World's Creators": Negotiating the Value of GIF Art and Artists

Abstract

This study employs Adam Arvidsson’s (2009) ethical economy theory to examine how the value of GIF art and artists is negotiated on the social media platform Tumblr.com. According to Arvidsson corporations generate value by guiding the development of social relations through the construction of a collaborative ethos. On Tumblr, this ethos is manifested through their business model and brand identity which invites users to “Follow the World’s Creators.” Through its business model and brand, Tumblr discursively positions itself as a site where creators and creative activity obtain cultural value, but also supply the platform with reputation value. By conducting a series of interviews with 15 GIF artists over email, my study shows that the value of GIF art and artists is predominantly conferred through circulation, a method of sharing that is afforded by Tumblr’s reblog function.