This article explores quarantine vlogs on YouTube to examine the cultural production of influencers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. By using a grounded theory approach to analyze 9 quarantine vlogs filmed by woman creators along with 480 user comments, this article argues that quarantine vlogs are shaped by influencers’ competing desires of (1) offering care and soothing content to the viewers and (2) instrumentalizing the discontents of the pandemic moment as a neoliberal device to preserve their aspirational self. In quarantine vlogs, influencers interact with their audiences by recognizing the emotional and mental strains of navigating the pandemic or their relative privilege, while they reframe the pandemic experience as an opportunity for productivity and self-growth. Consequently, influencers engage in significant affective labor and self-governance during a global health crisis to establish a resilient persona and maintain their online visibility.

中文翻译：

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管理有弹性的自我：影响者在隔离视频博客中的数字情感劳动

本文探讨了 YouTube 上的隔离视频博客，以考察 COVID-19 大流行初期影响者的文化生产。本文使用扎根理论方法分析了女性创作者拍摄的 9 个隔离视频博客以及 480 条用户评论，认为隔离视频博客是由影响者的相互竞争的愿望塑造的：(1) 向观众提供关怀和舒缓的内容，以及 (2)将大流行时刻的不满情绪作为新自由主义手段来维护他们的理想自我。在隔离视频博客中，有影响力的人通过认识到应对流行病的情感和精神压力或他们的相对特权来与观众互动，同时他们将流行病经历重新定义为生产力和自我成长的机会。因此，有影响力的人在全球健康危机期间进行了大量的情感劳动和自我管理，以建立有弹性的形象并保持他们的在线知名度。