Abstract:

How do creator-led ventures build legitimacy when storytelling is both the product and the primary mechanism of value creation? Prior legitimacy research shows that new ventures must engage in legitimacy work to overcome liabilities of newness, yet digital environments have transformed legitimacy construction into a continuous, interactive, and publicly visible process. Existing studies increasingly examine communicative micro-foundations, particularly legitimating language and emotional cues in social media messages, but less is known about how legitimacy is scaled, stabilized, and monetized under platform conditions. We develop a multi-level framework that conceptualizes legitimacy building in social media storytelling as the interaction of (1) micro-level communicative mechanisms (legitimating language, antenarratives, emotional tone), (2) meso-level relational mechanisms (audience/community engagement and network social capital), and (3) infrastructural mechanisms (platform governance/algorithmic visibility, institutional endorsements, monetization design, and person–venture coupling). Empirically, the study is designed as a qualitative single case analysis of an Italian creator-led entrepreneurial storytelling media startup. Data collection and coding are underway and include naturally occurring digital artifacts, interviews, and secondary materials. The conference presentation seeks developmental feedback on the proposed process model, the integration of mechanisms, and the qualitative strategy for theorizing legitimacy “scaling” over time.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Entrepreneurship

Keywords: Entrepreneurship Theories;International entrepreneurship

Menu

Prof Tindara Abbate