Formerly Incarcerated Digital Entrepreneurs & "The Hustle"

• In Event: Social Media and Public Image Construction

Abstract

Drawing from a sample of over one thousand formerly incarcerated public Instagram handles (n=1426), this paper focuses on a subset of individuals who are returning to society and utilizing social media in order to build their “brand.” In the age of social media, “content creation” has become a lucrative industry. In some cases, individuals use social media to market their businesses such as clothing companies and marijuana dispensaries. Others create content like “prison-style” cooking instruction tutorials and carceral calisthenics workout videos. Still others have become successful simply by sharing their story and offering griot-style narratives, which then proliferate into other ventures, including 1 on 1 “coaching” offered to those preparing for a prison sentence. While traditional forms of work and access to gainful employment can prove arduous, social media gives access to legitimate income for many who have been systematically excluded.

Authors

• Jan Haldipur, California State University, Long Beach

• Calvin John Smiley, Hunter College, CUNY