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Creators: New Heroes, Old Game
The social era of Web2 pulled users out of digital isolation and transformed them into active members of communities. Anyone could now be a micro media mogul - sharing, creating, building an audience. This dream sparked a new golden age in the early 2010s: Creator Economy.
YouTube’s Partner Program, Twitch streamers, Patreon supporters, Substack writers, OnlyFans creators… Millions came to believe they could earn income from a tweet, a video or a newsletter. And yes, some did. But who got the pie and who just the crumbs?
The real winner? That one’s easy: platforms.
The Bigger Slice: The Numbers Tell the Story
By 2024, the global digital advertising market approached $680 billion. YouTube, Twitch, OnlyFans, TikTok, Instagram - all claimed huge portions of that pie. But the share that went to creators was often far less generous than it sounded.
Take OnlyFans (the most “creator-friendly” among them) it still takes 20% of every dollar earned as a platform fee. Twitch offers revenue splits between 50–70%, depending on subscription tiers. So even if a streamer earns thousands in a month, half of it typically goes straight into Twitch’s pocket. YouTube? Over 50% of ad revenue ends up with Google.
And what about LinkedIn? It reported $6 billion in ad revenue in 2024. The share allocated to the millions of professionals posting and engaging on the platform? Zero. Not even a dollar. Facebook? It reported $62.3 billion in net profit in 2024. But how much of that went back to the creators whose content fueled the platform? Estimates range between 1–5%. The math speaks for itself.
Ownership: From Dream to Reality
Platforms know how to keep this system running. Users create, share, drive engagement. That fuels more ads. More data. More profit. Creators can reach millions with the click of a button but they don’t own the audience. If the account is shut down, everything disappears.
That’s why, in recent years, the concept of the ownership economy has gained traction. In the Web3 world (with NFTs, social tokens and on-chain data management) one promise echoed loudly: “This time, you will own your content. Your data will be on the chain. Your community will follow you.”
But in reality, few lived up to that promise. As new tools emerged, so did new layers of intermediaries. Even when ownership moved to the blockchain, infrastructure, user experience and community migration remained tied to legacy platforms.
One System, Two Faces
The creator economy gave individuals opportunities like never before: a path to income without corporate ties, a way to build careers outside the traditional system. But the list of winners was always narrow. 80% of revenue went to the top 1%. The remaining 99%? Watching from the sidelines, either lost in the algorithm maze or unable to hit their subscription goals.
Platforms have mastered this game: if one creator leaves, another takes their place. Loyalty usually lies with the platform, not the person. That’s why the biggest slice always goes to the one who built the kitchen.
Next Act: The Ownership Hype and the New Bubble
Chapter 4 of InfoFi revealed the system that sells dreams, rents out effort, but rarely shares the profits. Now, it’s time for the next scene: the hype-fueled revolution of ownership - New Dot-Com Bubble.
The Web3 wave, the promised ownership utopia and the overinflated promises, all of it awaits in the next chapter.
See you next Sunday.
Creators: New Heroes, Old Game
The social era of Web2 pulled users out of digital isolation and transformed them into active members of communities. Anyone could now be a micro media mogul - sharing, creating, building an audience. This dream sparked a new golden age in the early 2010s: Creator Economy.
YouTube’s Partner Program, Twitch streamers, Patreon supporters, Substack writers, OnlyFans creators… Millions came to believe they could earn income from a tweet, a video or a newsletter. And yes, some did. But who got the pie and who just the crumbs?
The real winner? That one’s easy: platforms.
The Bigger Slice: The Numbers Tell the Story
By 2024, the global digital advertising market approached $680 billion. YouTube, Twitch, OnlyFans, TikTok, Instagram - all claimed huge portions of that pie. But the share that went to creators was often far less generous than it sounded.
Take OnlyFans (the most “creator-friendly” among them) it still takes 20% of every dollar earned as a platform fee. Twitch offers revenue splits between 50–70%, depending on subscription tiers. So even if a streamer earns thousands in a month, half of it typically goes straight into Twitch’s pocket. YouTube? Over 50% of ad revenue ends up with Google.
And what about LinkedIn? It reported $6 billion in ad revenue in 2024. The share allocated to the millions of professionals posting and engaging on the platform? Zero. Not even a dollar. Facebook? It reported $62.3 billion in net profit in 2024. But how much of that went back to the creators whose content fueled the platform? Estimates range between 1–5%. The math speaks for itself.
Ownership: From Dream to Reality
Platforms know how to keep this system running. Users create, share, drive engagement. That fuels more ads. More data. More profit. Creators can reach millions with the click of a button but they don’t own the audience. If the account is shut down, everything disappears.
That’s why, in recent years, the concept of the ownership economy has gained traction. In the Web3 world (with NFTs, social tokens and on-chain data management) one promise echoed loudly: “This time, you will own your content. Your data will be on the chain. Your community will follow you.”
But in reality, few lived up to that promise. As new tools emerged, so did new layers of intermediaries. Even when ownership moved to the blockchain, infrastructure, user experience and community migration remained tied to legacy platforms.
One System, Two Faces
The creator economy gave individuals opportunities like never before: a path to income without corporate ties, a way to build careers outside the traditional system. But the list of winners was always narrow. 80% of revenue went to the top 1%. The remaining 99%? Watching from the sidelines, either lost in the algorithm maze or unable to hit their subscription goals.
Platforms have mastered this game: if one creator leaves, another takes their place. Loyalty usually lies with the platform, not the person. That’s why the biggest slice always goes to the one who built the kitchen.
Next Act: The Ownership Hype and the New Bubble
Chapter 4 of InfoFi revealed the system that sells dreams, rents out effort, but rarely shares the profits. Now, it’s time for the next scene: the hype-fueled revolution of ownership - New Dot-Com Bubble.
The Web3 wave, the promised ownership utopia and the overinflated promises, all of it awaits in the next chapter.
See you next Sunday.
Ali Tıknazoğlu
Ali Tıknazoğlu
8 comments
rise of infofi - 4: the big slice of cake just dropped. who really makes money? who just gets crumbs? creators built the show, platforms took the profits. read more: en: https://paragraph.com/@alitiknazoglu/rise-of-infofi-4-the-big-slice-of-cake tr: https://x.com/FintablesKripto/status/1941914757537452094
Very good Ali 👏 . It is an interesting look at the truncated dream that a content creator usually has, at the hands of the appropriation of that content by the platforms.
Nice mini app
It's a nice content. Good job. Klavyene sağlık 🍊
It's a nice content. Good job. Klavyene sağlık 🍊
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In a thought-provoking blog post, @alitiknazoglu explores the stark reality of the creator economy amid dazzling promises. While online platforms rake in billions, the gig truly fosters inequality. The emergence of Web3 brings hope: can true ownership finally be the game-changer?