The Structural Limitations of Esports Player Idolization under the Algorithm-Fan Co-Creation Mechanism
Abstract
In the platform-based media world, the public visibility of Esports players is increasingly formed by algorithmic recommendation systems and the practices of fans taking part. Although prior research has looked at the connection between algorithmic culture, platform-based communication, and esports improvement, a systematic review of the idolization mechanism co-built by algorithms and fans and its structural effect on the development of players' careers is lacking. This paper uses a systematic review method, incorporating relevant literature from algorithmic culture, participatory fan practices, digital star research, and Esports communication to analyze how the algorithm-fan co-construction mechanism impacts players' career visibility. The research shows that platform algorithms' preference for emotional expression and narrative readability results in the ongoing emotionalization and labeling of player images, reducing the role of competitive ability as the core assessment criterion. Meanwhile, as fan re-narration expands the space for cultural inclusion, it also deepens the solidification of player images and the instability of career progressions. So, this paper underlines the requirement to reflect on the joint effect of platform algorithms and fan participation in the context of communication structure and gives insights for platform governance and the esports industry activities.
References
- Gillespie, T. (2014). The relevance of algorithms. In T. Gillespie, P. J. Boczkowski, & K. A. Foot (Eds.), Media technologies: Essays on communication, materiality, and society (pp. 167–194). MIT Press.
- Bucher, T. (2018). If… then: Algorithmic power and politics. Oxford University Press.
- van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & de Waal, M. (2018). The platform society: Public values in a connective world. Oxford University Press.
- Cotter, K. (2019). Playing the visibility game: How digital influencers and algorithms negotiate influence on Instagram. Social Media + Society, 5(2), 1–12.
- Duffy, B. E., & Meisner, C. (2023). Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators' experiences with algorithmic invisibility. Media, Culture & Society.
- Poell, T., Nieborg, D., & van Dijck, J. (2019). Platformisation. Internet Policy Review, 8(4).
- Nieborg, D. B., & Poell, T. (2018). The platformization of cultural production: Theorizing the contingent cultural commodity. New Media & Society, 20(11), 4275–4292.
- Abidin, C. (2021). Mapping internet celebrity on social media. Emerald Publishing.
- Jenny, S. E., Besombes, N., Brock, T., Cote, A. C., & Scholz, T. M. (Eds.). (2024). Routledge handbook of Esports. Routledge. The intellectual structure of Esports research. Entertainment Computing, 49, 100628.
- Woodcock, J., & Johnson, M. R. (2023). The political economy of Esports. Bristol University Press.
- Tjønndal, A. (2022). Social issues in Esports. Routledge.
- Caplan, R. (2023). Networked platform governance: The construction of the democratic platform. International Journal of Communication, 17, 3451–3472.
- Rozgonyi, K. (2023). Accountability and platforms' governance: The case of online prominence of public service media content. Internet Policy Review, 12(4).