Becoming the Center of Other People's Identity Struggles: Content Creators Who Question, Critique, and Leave High-Pressure, Identity-Defining Communities via Social Media

The process of leaving high-pressure, identity-defining communities can produce profound identity changes. This leaving process propels some people to seek support online and to share their experiences publicly. We interviewed 13 social media content creators who made content as a part of, or in response to, their leaving process to understand their motivations and the ways audiences engaged with their work. We then explored how platforms transformed creators’ work into collaborative spaces for social support. As creators gained audiences, their visibility introduced new incentives, obligations, and risks. Creators had to manage the challenges of maintaining safe spaces for their audiences, meeting audience expectations, and addressing heightened safety concerns for themselves. We end by discussing the networked structure of creator-centered communities, the impacts of platform on creator communities, and the emotional harms associated with being at the center of a community focused on social support.