Tension between autonomy and dependency: insights into platform work of professional (video)bloggers

The purpose of this article is to extend knowledge and understanding work in the platform economy by focusing on phenomenon (video)blogging around social media platforms. growth has attracted considerable attention recent years. As yet, however, research focused almost exclusively labour platforms that operate match supply demand for paid fields such as food delivery, ride hailing, cleaning or data entry activities. Surprisingly little known about its manifestations other platforms, despite fact embraces a huge variety arrangements income generation. Drawing in-depth interviews with 18 German (video)bloggers we show constitutes specific form ‘digital self-employment’ combines features traditional self-employment digitally mediated dependencies. While enjoy both great deal independence from managerial control high degree autonomy, they are also subject rules algorithms set large tech companies. example (video)blogging, together experiences (video)bloggers, highlights extent which created new types need be taken into consideration enable deeper evolving dynamics how these transforming nature work.