Part I: What do Creators want and what are they getting?
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across Adobe’s “Future of Creativity” study, which sheds some survey-based light on the current state of the Creator Economy. With companies pumping money into the industry through brand deals, many content creators seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place: Make the brand deal or stay authentic. (Of course, it’s not always a mutually exclusive choice, but social media has shortened all our attention spans, so for the sake of readability, let’s stick to that, shall we?)
Is authenticity really such an important asset?
If you ask content creators, it certainly is. Their primary motivations for engaging in creative activities are self-expression (48%), fun (43%) and following a passion (40%). Admittedly, money (26%) still seems to be important, but what we’re seeing is a side condition: Having a solid and plannable income, gives me the freedom to express myself, do what I love and follow my dream. Money can be seen as a basic prerequisite, rather than an ultimate goal. That is especially true for hobby creators and those who earn an income on the side as an addition to a daytime job.
So there is some serious truth in the worn-out promise of many Creator Economy service providers: Enabling you to do what you truly love.
“For influencer marketing, authenticity is key,” a friend of mine and industry veteran never tires of pointing out. But perfectly crafted imperfections, staged everyday moments and rehearsed quirks are not authentic. They create an illusion of authenticity, grimly summarised in the book “Influencer” by Ole Nymoen and Wolfgang M. Schmitt:
“The never-ending chatter about individuality, creativity and authenticity, in its vehemence and indistinguishability, in fact reveals peer pressure, imitation and the adaptation of the self to algorithmic artificiality.”
Now let’s take a deep breath before things get too gloomy here, it’s not as bad as it seems: The vast majority of internet users don’t trust advertising and are capable of recognising authentic content — that’s why there is a whole industry trying to find new ways to make advertisements look genuine.
But to truly express yourself, to follow a passion, a creator has to be authentic and make money at the same time. And here we are again between the rock and the hard place from the beginning of this brief article: Creators have to ask themselves how many brand deals and advertisements they can water down their content with without it tasting bland.
For starters:
If you’re supported by those who enjoy your content the most (and not by those who target those who enjoy your content the most with their own agenda), things get a lot easier. Less dilution of content, less conflict of interest. From this perspective, the word “community” (from the Latin word “communis”: jointly, mutual, shared by many) can truly live up to its original meaning.
Platforms absorb up to 50% of the creators’ income. Let’s look at some of the shortcomings of this monetisation system: A Youtuber can earn money from YouTube by having third party ads be placed between his content. In order to look attractive for this, the creator has to bend the knee to the almighty algorithm. The choice of topics, words, content, video length, upload time — a huge chunk of the creators’ work is not aimed at producing great content for self-expression, fans and users to enjoy, but at dressing up for an algorithm that will hopefully notice and favour them.
But remember, the lion’s share of Youtube’s source of revenue comes from advertising. And that’s the reason the payment for different videos with the same number of views varies. Because the platform calculates how relevant a view is to its advertising partners: Is the content marketable? Where do the users come from? What’s the CPM (cost per mille, the amount an ad partner pays for 1,000 views)?
Content creators yearn to express themselves, have fun and follow their passion, but they are not rewarded financially as the algorithm is optimised to serve the advertising partners. Not the fans, not the creators. And by the nature of things,the interests of the creator, YouTube and its advertising partners, are at odds with each other: It is highly unlikely that advertisers share the same lust for self-expression, fun or passion, no matter what their marketing departments try to tell you.
It’s time to change the way content is valued. It’s time for a radical change.
About JOOS: joos.me is an app for content creators and their fans to independently fund qualitative content. Fans can subscribe and support their favourite creators, as well as invest in them to be a part of their success.