Fans in action! The science of participatory branding
REPORT
14 May 2021
Fans in action! The science of participatory branding

Crafting and promoting a strong personal brand is key to finding success as an influencer, but is this creative labour always a solo activity? Canvas8 spoke to Colten Meisner, researcher at Cornell University, about how livestreaming creates a unique interplay between fans and creators.

Colten Meisner

Colten Meisner is social scientist at Microsoft Research New England and a PhD candidate in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. His research examines how the policy decisions made by social-media platforms shape online communities and platform-based work. At Microsoft he consults with a product team developing a news platform to provide them with social science research about news and online communities. His PhD research explores how platforms like Substack are reimagining the future of journalism and information communities. He has previously studied communities such as social-media creators, socially marginalized social-media users, and low-wage technical workers.

Jo Thompson

Jo Thompson is a feature and copywriter. Having worked in luxury fashion communications for over four years, she now focuses on writing about the intersection of art, culture, and fashion.