Decentralization Through Capabilities in Human Centred Technology and Engaging social Media Content: Implications for Social Inclusion

The current academic understanding of the decentralization of social media content, which promotes more democratic access and participation in content creation and sharing, and its impact on social inclusion within the creator economy, remains limited. This study addresses to this research gap by examining how decentralisation of content is developed through social media content creation practice, and how it impacts the social inclusion of creative individuals from marginalised communities. Drawing on social inclusion literature and social exchange theory, this study employed a mixed-methods approach including semi-structured interviews and structured surveys with content creators from marginalized communities. The findings revealed that engaging social media content, combined with creators’ capabilities in using human centred social media technology, enhances the decentralization of their content, ultimately fostering greater social inclusion. Importantly, creators’ analytics capabilities were found to be a strong predictor of the relationship between engaging content creation and decentralization.