The Rise of Attention Capital as Legitimacy Broker: Transformation of Gatekeeping in Artistic Fields

• In Event: 41012 - The Future of Work

Abstract

Attention has long been integral to artistic fields, but the rise of social media has dramatically altered its role. While scholars have explored the attention economy, focusing on how digitalization, platformization, and algorithmic curation shape visibility, influence, and economic outcomes, its impact on artistic occupational field structures remains largely underexplored. I argue that attention capital has shifted from being a secondary asset to a central structuring force that brokers cultural, economic, and social capital into legitimacy. This transformation restructures artistic hierarchies, determining which actors gain power, visibility, and prestige. This paper introduces a framework for understanding artistic labor along a spectrum from highly virtualized work to traditional craftsmanship. On one end, digital content creators operate in a fully virtualized space, where success is dictated solely by visibility, engagement metrics, and algorithmic favor. At the other extreme, traditional artisans derive legitimacy from mastery, material production, and institutional recognition. Performing artists, such as actors, occupy a liminal space between these poles, where careers increasingly hinge on digital visibility while still relying on offline validation. However, even the perceived marketability of social and cultural capital in these liminal spaces is now shaped through online attention. An actor’s training or network ties no longer guarantee direct access to opportunities; instead, their perceived value is mediated by how effectively these assets translate into digital reach. As attention capital brokers the conversion of cultural and social capital into legitimacy, professional success hinges not just on talent or industry validation but on the ability to command sustained visibility. This transformation disrupts conventional hierarchies in artistic labor, privileging those who can strategically navigate algorithmic amplification while challenging traditional notions of artistic merit and field positioning.

Author

• Yasemin Girgin, Boston University