Segmentation, Surveillance, and Automation: Practical and Ethical Considerations for Attracting, Sustaining, and Monetizing Audience Attention Online

Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2023

Segmentation, Surveillance, and Automation: Practical and Ethical Considerations for Attracting, Sustaining, and Monetizing Audience Attention Online

Ryan Wold Twin Cities Orthopedics

Abstract

Through a case study of a popular food and recipe blog (Pinchofyum.com), this article details how two content creators practicing an advertising-based business model built a loyal audience and profitable business. A content analysis of the income reports published by the site's creators found that their advertising-based business model incentivized them to (a) segment their audience, (b) surveil their audience, and (c) automate interactions with their audience. This incentive structure led the content creators to employ an inconsistent and often problematic persona of their intended audience as they aimed to scale their ability to build trust with a rapidly growing audience. These findings provide guidance for aspiring online entrepreneurs and technical communicators desiring to understand the implications of distributing their content on platforms funded through advertising.

Journal: Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published: 2023-04-01
DOI: 10.1177/10506519221143107
Open Access: Closed
Topics: qualitative research multimodality

Citation Context

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