My day begins with scrolling through Xiaohongshu while I’m still in bed. I watch videos that my friends shared with me from the night before. I then reply to these videos with reactions to keep our digital ‘friendship spark’ (an icon appearing in the conversation). Throughout the day, I will also share videos and content that I find interesting with my friends.
I think this is a perfect example of relational labour as I actively maintain connections throughout the course of my day to ensure my relationships stay intact in the digital world.
> Conversation between me and my friends on Xiaohongshu
Getting up from my bed and I open the curtain realising that it is a sunny day, I then take a photo and post it on Instagram Stories to share my joy. I believe this is emotional labour.
Instagram is a very personal and private space for me and my close friends to express joy and vent frustrations, the likes and replies from my friends are a form of emotional support for me, BUT, I think they also represent data points that Instagram’s algorithms can profit from.
> The sunshine from my room and the satisfying brunch I had in this sunny weather
Sometimes in the afternoon, I usually check on Linkedin to stay updated on the industry trends I’m interested in. I also check updates from my ex-company, previous mentors and alumni to keep my professional network active – Sometimes, I comment, and sometimes I just like the post.
I also repost university content mentioning my work and update my profiles with my latest status. The labour I perform here is hope labour in which I’m investing time and efforts to construct a professional image that can lead to future employment opportunities. It’s unpaid, but it’s driven by the hope of my long-term professional goals.
> I updated my latest educational background and reposted a post mentioning my work
November has come to an end, so I scroll through my photo album to create a post on WeChat Moments. I choose photos of beautiful landscapes I travelled to and the friends I met in November, and then carefully curate a caption that shows my positivity towards life and also my language skills.
WeChat is a platform that connects my entire social ecosystem: my family, friends, co-workers, mentors, etc. Hence, I believe this involves self-fashioning labour by creating and maintaining a positive, multifaceted image for my intimate, social and professional relationships.
> My November Post on WeChat Moment
Some Reflections…
The platforms extract immense profit from my data—monetising my habits, interactions, and emotions—while my “rewards” are limited to intangible benefits like validation and connection. Am I adequately rewarded? Not quite. The value I generate far outweighs what I receive in return. This is the paradox of social media labour—unpaid yet undeniably productive.