Project solicitation: Prof. Dr. Roland Verwiebe and Dr. Lena Seewann 

The project has multiple topics. On the one hand, it focuses on the self-perception of YouTubers as an occupational group asking the following questions:

• What kind of meaning do YouTubers attribute to their actions on the platform? How are boundaries of recreational and professional activities defined?
• Which chances and obstacles does this new occupational field offer?
• Which strategies do YouTubers implement in order to use the platform professionally?

On the other hand, the project examines the inequality structures YouTubers are facing and how they come to be. This poses the following questions:

• Which (work) biographies are typical for people using the platform?
• Which role does the YouTube algorithm (as a non-human actor) play when it comes to inequalities of both visibility and income?
• How strongly do characteristics such as age, gender, educational level, descent or line of work influence inequalities on YouTube?
• How do sociotechnical skills or forms of organization affect the positioning on YouTube?