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Research . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Research . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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The Output Value Index (OVI): Creator Compensation per Unit of Digital Output in the Global Microstock Market, 2018–2025

Authors: Perugini, Marco;

The Output Value Index (OVI): Creator Compensation per Unit of Digital Output in the Global Microstock Market, 2018–2025

Abstract

This paper introduces the Output Value Index (OVI), a longitudinal measure of creator compensation per unit of digital output in the microstock photography market, 2018–2025. Using five independent contributor anchors deflated to real 2012 USD, we document a decline in the observed earnings range from $1.15–$3.10 per file per year in 2018 to $0.85–$2.55 in 2025 — while platform revenue per download rose 59% over the same period. A within-contributor difference-in-differences using the June 2020 Shutterstock payout restructuring as an institutional discontinuity partially isolates a platform extraction effect from supply-side dynamics. A structural finding emerges from the data collection process itself: Shutterstock's Terms of Service enforcement from December 2020 has rendered post-cut disaggregated earnings data empirically inaccessible, constituting a documented mechanism of informational asymmetry. All claims carry explicit epistemic status (FACT/INFERENCE). No causal claims are made beyond the illustrative DiD.

Keywords

per-unit compensation, platform labor, Puberty Suppression/statistics & numerical data, microstock photography, creator economy, OVI, data suppression

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
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