The New Identity Of Blue-collar Workers: Celebrity Bloggers On TikTok

At 3 a.m., 30-year-old Jacob Knowles drove his fishing boat into the waters near Winter Harbor, Maine, USA, and started a day of lobster fishing with his two crew members. In addition to being the captain of a fishing boat, Knowles also has another more well-known identity – on the short video platform TikTok, he is an Internet celebrity blogger with 2.5 million fans.

At the end of a hard day's work, Knowles dons an orange rubber apron and stands on the deck of his boat, explaining to the camera in a native accent how to reproduce lobsters and how to remove barnacles.

“The latest social media leaders include truckers, shepherds and fishermen.” A recent report in the New York Times mentioned that short videos of blue-collar workers led by Knowles sharing their daily work have won the It has won the favor of European and American netizens.

On a hillside in Cumbria, England, young Hannah, who has 100,000 followers on TikTok and recently posted a video introducing her new companion, a sheepdog, is herding sheep. Hannah feels that this kind of pastoral life away from the city is novel to city dwellers. “Maybe it’s because I introduce agriculture in a very simple way, which makes people feel relaxed and they can ask questions without worrying about being out of place.”

Marwick, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that under the aesthetic marketing of Instagram, when talking about Internet celebrities, people will always think of blondes who are exquisitely dressed and taking photos on hotel balconies, but TikTok’s short videos are more original and More realistic and no additional filters required. Marwick pointed out the appeal of blue-collar short videos: “Everyone knows these jobs exist, but they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.”

The New York Times reported that blue-collar short video creators usually have their own day jobs and do not use social media as a means of livelihood, so their accounts are not flooded with advertisements. Nonetheless, their video audience includes many office workers. Williams, who works on the internet, said he follows the social media accounts of many blue-collar bloggers, including mechanics, electricians and long-haul truck drivers.