The Supernatural, The Moral, and the Creator Economy 😈

This Week in the Creator Economy

• Why the creator economy feels so similar to everyone

• AI models on Fanvue (an OnlyFans competitor) are making $10K+ a month. The kicker? The money is going right into the hands of the men creating the AI … this is wild stuff

• Eight creator economy startups have shut down in the past year - that is not good news for me… (paywall)

• It just keeps going up! Creator economy expected to reach $528B by 2033 - that is good news for me!

• A creator interview not from Creator Exclusive! Someone’s stealing my idea … that’s ok, I’ll still share :)

• How women are leading the way in UGC and influencer marketing … we all know girls rule the world

• For you crypto nerds out there… how XCAD might change the face of the creator economy

Creator Deep Dive - The Creator Economy and the Death of Modern Morality

Cathy Tie released an article in the NASDAQ (who knew they had an online publication) discussing the Creator Economy and the Death of Modern Morality. What a hot take.

So, let's talk about this whole creator economy, along with a summary of what I really think about this article.

As you know (and it’s most likely why you’re reading this) people are actually making a living creating content on social media. It's wild to think how far we've come since the dot com bubble burst back in 2000.

Back then, social media was just a way to connect with friends and family online.

Fast forward to 2023, and we've got folks being called "NPCs" on Twitch, endless scrolling on TikTok, and people dishing out their two cents on Twitter (I’m still not going to call it X).

But here's the deal: the creator economy isn't just about posting cute cat videos or sharing your latest workout routine.

It's a whole industry now, worth billions of dollars and growing like crazy. 

Now, before you start thinking it's all rainbows and sunshine, there's a darker side to this whole gig. Success in the creator economy is all about engagement, likes, follows, and views.

It's like a popularity contest on steroids. And who's at the center of it all? Well, it's the youth of today - glued to their screens, getting hit with instant dopamine left, right, and center.

And let's not even get started on the mental health items - anxiety, depression, FOMO (fear of missing out for you older readers).

It's like a never-ending cycle of comparison and validation-seeking. And don't even get me started on the filter bubbles and echo chambers, where everyone's just hearing what they wanna hear, reinforcing their own biases.

But it really is not all doom and gloom. The creator economy has opened doors for folks who never would've had a shot in traditional industries.

Think about it – you don't need a fancy agent or a record deal to make it big anymore. All you need is a smartphone, a tiny bit of creativity, and you could be the next big thing tomorrow!

Sure, there are challenges - creators are at the mercy of algorithms and they are constantly chasing likes and views to stay relevant. And it would be nice if some of that investment money went towards a better cause than influencer marketing to make already rich people richer.

At the end of the day, the creator economy is here to stay. It’s messy, it’s got flaws, but it's also a reflection of our evolving digital world. So instead of fighting it, maybe we should embrace it.

Let's use our influence as consumers to push for more transparency and accountability. Let's support creators who are using their platforms for good, spreading positivity and sparking important conversations.

Because who knows? Maybe that kid dreaming of being a YouTuber will end up changing the world in ways we never thought possible.

And isn't that what it's all about? Embracing the chaos, riding the wave, and seeing where it takes us.

TikTok Vid of the Week

@joviiii33

tiktok has ruined my attention span #adhd #attentionspan @Jovi

The accuracy is horrifying…

Tweet of the Week

Duolingo has to be my favourite social media brand

Creator Exclusive Weekly Interview … with Kristeau

An excerpt of our interview with the supernatural content creator Kristeau aka Kristin…

Hey Kristin! How did you come up with your content & creator idea?

It took a very long time to find my niche. Initially, I started off making content on random topics that were just popular (basically jumping on a bandwagon). However, that quickly drained me as it wasn’t anything I was really passionate about.

I pivoted my strategy and instead looked for inspiration based on my own interests that I saw were actually quite popular with other people as well. That's how I decided to make content centered around topics that fall under the classification of what I'd consider paranormal, disturbing, or something fascinating (the metaphysical falls under this last category).

In getting started, it took me about a good year to gain traction. However, the most important thing I realized is that just because one or two videos blow up, it doesn't mean you're suddenly set. It's a continuous cycle of having to find new, great ideas and have interesting titles and have something that will bring viewers in. I still struggle to gain traction for videos sometimes. It really is a hit or miss process, and disappointment is inevitable when creating content.

As I was building out content, I did what I call “Pavloving” (based off of the famous psychologist Ivan Pavlov who developed the theory of classical conditioning). I found a format for thumbnails and video titles that worked really well and viewers liked it so I stuck with it.

That way, whenever returning viewers read a title or see my thumbnails, they immediately want to click because they associate it with my brand. If they were new to my brand, the thumbnails and titles still entice them as well.

More than anything, to get your ideas off the ground, taking action is the most important thing to do. If you fixate on making sure everything is correct or perfect in nature, you will never accomplish anything you want. You just need to start.

You can fix and alter whatever you want as you go along creating content and establishing your brand, but you can't improve what doesn't exist. You must first start making whatever content you choose regardless of how ‘ready’ you are. I would have started making YouTube videos way sooner if I wasn't afraid of not being perfect or having ‘everything done’. There will always be something else to do, so you might as well just start.

Read the full interview with Kristin over at Creator Exclusive