Problems of the Creator Economy
Last updated
Last updated
In the past decade, social media grew exponentially. The era of social networks has seen the rise of many centralized corporations. These corporations developed platforms that allowed individuals to express themselves and gather a following.
While these companies have empowered creators, giving them a way to connect with a niche of followers willing to pay for their content, they also set boundaries that are only serving their own interests.
In the current state of things, regular Users are only supposed to pay for content - and that’s it. This is a zero-sum game: people just pay to watch. It’s one-way, bland, and there is no reward for the community engaging with Creators and their work.
Fans are only seen as a mean for profits. They’re brought to the centralized platform, incentivized to pay, and that’s all there is for them.
There is no way for committed fans to step up in the community, to endorse a Creator, or to participate in the evolution of the platform.
Making a living out of content creation is not easy. Even less so when big corporations are keeping a big share of revenues and put it in their pockets. This model limits the income potential of creators, which in turn is limiting the whole community.
Fewer people can make a living out of their creations than they should, because centralized platforms are taking too big a share to make the step. Are these hefty fees helping the community earn while doing what they enjoy?
No, it only helps the corporation get bigger and richer.
There are things one can't show and can't say in the world of centralized corporations. Some opinions aren't welcome. And not only that, Users have no governing or ruling power, as the ownership of the platform is completely private and separate from the community who actually uses it.
Also, centralized corporations are only allowing their Users on their platform if they disclose everything: name, date of birth, location, banking info... Nobody wants to give that much personal information to big corporations, who have been frequently accused of selling data or getting hacked.