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‘Don't forget to like, share and subscribe’: Digital autopreneurs in a neoliberal world

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  • Ashman, Rachel
  • Patterson, Anthony
  • Brown, Stephen

Abstract

We seek to move beyond the exalted figure of the heroic entrepreneur that predominates the study of entrepreneurship; to take a less agentic view of entrepreneurship; to tell stories rarely told, and to demonstrate how historical and technocultural forces are as instrumental in directing entrepreneurial activity as individual motivations. We enlist the work of Foucault and others, in conjunction with netnographic fieldwork that focuses on an assemblage of young YouTubers striving to become what we call autopreneurs. We reveal how they internalize a structure of feeling, divined from neoliberal ideology that shapes their everyday affairs. We find that three main wellsprings – the dynamics of competition, the creativity dispositif, and technologies of the self – detrimentally affect the quality of their lives and collectively institute a ‘cruel optimism’ which promises much but delivers little. We conclude with some thoughts on the ramifications of our work for the study of entrepreneurship.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashman, Rachel & Patterson, Anthony & Brown, Stephen, 2018. "‘Don't forget to like, share and subscribe’: Digital autopreneurs in a neoliberal world," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 474-483.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:92:y:2018:i:c:p:474-483
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.055
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John O. Ogbor, 2000. "Mythicizing and Reification in Entrepreneurial Discourse: Ideology‐Critique of Entrepreneurial Studies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5), pages 605-635, July.
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    3. Peter Armstrong, 2005. "Critique of Entrepreneurship," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-55495-5, December.
    4. Robert H. Frank, 2016. "Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10663.
    5. Dean A. Shepherd & Holger Patzelt, 2017. "Trailblazing in Entrepreneurship," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-319-48701-4, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yeh, Ching-Hsuan & Wang, Yi-Shun & Hsu, Jing-Wei & Lin, Shin-jeng, 2020. "Predicting individuals' digital autopreneurship: Does educational intervention matter?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 35-45.
    2. da Fonseca, André Luís A. & Chimenti, Paula & Campos, Roberta D., 2023. "‘Take my advice’: Entrepreneurial consumers and the ecosystemic logics of digital platforms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. Robert V Kozinets & J Jeffrey InmanEditor & Margaret C CampbellEditor & Amna KirmaniEditor & Linda L PriceEditor, 2019. "Consuming Technocultures: An Extended JCR Curation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 46(3), pages 620-627.
    4. Patrick Gregori & Patrick Holzmann, 2022. "Entrepreneurial practices and the constitution of environmental value for sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3302-3317, November.
    5. Lorenzo J. Torres Hortelano, 2019. "Audio-Visual Genres and Polymediation in Successful Spanish YouTubers," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-22, February.

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