The Rise of Influencer Collab Houses through Internal Networks
With the rise in the influence of Gen Z, fame is now seemingly more accessible to those hoping to pursue online content creation. From frequent video virality on TikTok to high influencer prevalence on Instagram, social media has become the breeding ground for younger generations to experience fame on the Internet. Out of this fast-paced, dynamic environment, a trending method to improve content quality and increase virality has been produced– “collab” (short for collaboration) houses. Known as content creator collectives, collab houses provide a physical space (a house) for influencers to live and work together. Such collab houses provide many benefits to influencers, including accelerated social media growth and the support of a team working towards the same purpose. The formation and duration of these collab houses can be best explained through the dynamics of internal networks and the structural balance theory.
The formation of a collab house often begins with a pair or small group of influencers who post similar content and have an established following. Each influencer can be visualized as a node and the group/pair of influencers are connected by a strong/positive edge as they are united by the goal of producing similar content and gaining popularity through it. As the foundation of the collab house becomes established, the founding influencers are often in charge of searching and reviewing more talent to join the collab house inhabitants. Such influencers are only admitted if they possess the commitment to utilize all resources of the collab house and fit the image of what the house represents. Through this extensive admittance process, new influencers that join the team come in with a strong/positive bond with others in the house.
However, the nature of such an environment and constant attention from the public inevitably contribute to conflict within the collab house. Each house operates with structured rules, the most notable one being churning out content daily. Those who do not commit to working constantly to produce content or fail to take proper care of the house’s resources begin to have poor relationships with other members and are removed from the team. As these collab houses house many younger influencers, it is typical for some bonds to weaken and become negative through various scandals, accusations of toxic culture, and spiteful behavior on social media. The structural balance theorem demonstrates that a triad of nodes with one negative edge and two positive edges becomes unbalanced. Similarly, when a relationship between a single pair of influencers becomes negative within the house, the network of the team immediately becomes unstable. This has often become the source of a collab house’s downfall, where drama ensues between two influencers, and the team begins crumbling as individuals take sides and eventually leave the house. Hence, the structural balance theory helps to show that the longevity of collab houses depends on the balance of triads, or relationships, among the team members.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/style/hype-house-los-angeles-tik-tok.html
https://kristinmerrilees.medium.com/why-dont-collab-houses-last-b40f48891a8f