Springer Nature Names Jess Rauchberg As Inaugural Associate Editor of New Journal Creator and Influencer Studies

Jess Rauchberg, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Communication, Media and the Arts in the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media, was recently named as one of the inaugural associate editors of the first-ever peer-reviewed journal dedicated to creator economies and influencer industries: Creator and Influencer Studies. The journal, which launched in February 2026, is published by Springer-Nature, the world's largest academic publishing house. 

The open-access journal is supported by an editorial board of emerging leaders and established experts in studies of online culture representing more than 14 different countries and will publish interdisciplinary research and serve as an innovative venue for research on content creators and the creator economy, a $250 billion industry that Rauchberg argues deeply shapes society’s behaviors, attitudes and overall values.

“For a very long time, we've dismissed the significance of content creators as ‘silly’ or ‘unworthy’ of our attention, but influencers don't just sell us products — they're who we relate to,” said Rauchberg, who views foregrounding academic and applied research of creators and influencers as important to understanding the contemporary political, economic and social moment.

“C&IS is going to provide a home for researchers, industry professionals and creators themselves to wrestle with the realities of influencer and creators in our world, where we sit with the positives, negatives and complexities of digital culture,” she added.

As one of the inaugural associate editors of Creator and Influencer Studies, Rauchberg will help lead the journal while continuing her pioneering work on disability, gender and creative labor. Her pathbreaking scholarship — from algorithmic ableism to influencer snark — is foundational to academic studies of power, politics and production in creator culture. In her work with Springer-Nature, Rauchberg will support the initial review of submitted articles, secure peer reviewers and ensure that the publication process runs smoothly.

Rauchberg is joined on the editorial team by editor-in-chief Jessica Maddox, as well as co-associate editors Adriana da Rosa Amaral, Qian Huang and Daniela Jaramillo-Dent. Alongside her editorial team, Rauchberg will help lead the academic journal devoted to creator culture, offering scholars an interdisciplinary venue for research on influencers and modern technologies.

“As a former content creator turned researcher, it's truly humbling and such an honor to be part of the inaugural editorial team,” said Rauchberg, who is excited to incorporate the journal’s findings into her own classroom and work with the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media. “I'm looking forward to being part of this journal, it's a space many have been seeking for a very long time.”

View the Creator and Influencer Studies submission portal, which is now open.

In addition to her role as an assistant professor at Seton Hall, Jess Rauchberg is a leading authority on creator culture and digital platforms, and a prominent voice in formalizing creator studies. She is a public intellectual frequently featured in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The New York Times, Mother Jones, and on Good Morning America and PBS.  Rauchberg is also currently working on her first book, Platform Hygiene: How Algorithmic Ableism Shapes Creator Culture, in addition to co-editing the forthcoming volume of Disability Media Culture from NYU Press.

Categories: Arts and Culture