Internet Stars or Digital Labors? Research on the Information Practices of the Elderly Internet Celebrities from the Perspective of Multiple Capitals

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of elderly individuals creating short videos on the Internet has led to the emergence of the “Elderly Internet Celebrities” (EICs), which has captured significant social attention. This study investigates the information practices and underlying capital operations of EICs through field research and qualitative analysis of 27 elderly participants and 12 activity organizers. The study finds that EICs engage in various information practices, including information acquisition, utilization, creation, and sharing. During the information practices, three patterns gradually emerge, and the elderly successfully accumulate digital capital while also transforming it into economic, social, cultural, and symbolic capital. This article contributes to emphasizing the EICs’ information creation and its collectiveness, taking the accumulation of capital as a criterion for evaluating EICs’ information practices utility. It also highlights several challenges faced by EICs, including value extraction, low utility, structural exploitation, and inadequate mechanisms for securing digital labor’s rights.