Why do so many people want to be influencers? Around 2016, when makeup reviewing was taking over YouTube and Instagram, the average makeup-enjoyer’s feed was filled with beauty reviewers receiving gifts and being paid by brands to talk about new releases. This glamorous lifestyle was of course, curated in part by the brands and the creators, but what wasn’t curated was the freedom content creation gave these influencers. Freedom to take a break, to travel for work, to have a lazy day, all of these things could be turned into content and a money-making venture.
When YouTubers took a break from posting videos, their comeback videos would usually include a thank you to their fans for giving them their platform, without which, they couldn’t step back from work so comfortably for as long as they needed to. For someone working a salaried position or a 9-5 in retail or customer service, that freedom to rest and recharge is unheard of. The concept of PTO and 401 (k) doesn’t matter when you can make thousands of dollars for a single video.
With social media personalities, what they’re selling is their personality and their relatability. Anyone can make a video that goes viral, and after that, it’s a straight shot to monetization and having your everyday life earn you money. This gives people the freedom to be their own boss and post about what they want when they want. Of course, popularity and virality have their own criteria that make certain videos more likely to succeed, but the content of the videos, how often one posts, and every detail about the production are in the hands of the creator. Plus, in the creator fund, TikTok tells creators exactly how much they can expect to be paid for each video.
This freedom of expression also cuts out the middleman as creators get paid directly from the app. No more waiting on someone to approve hours and sign checks. Of course, this means that instead, creators are beholden to the fickleness of the masses, but with time and transparency, creators can curate a community of people who want to support them regardless of the topics of their videos. As social media pages, websites and apps continue to grow and content continues to be monetized, we might see a shift away from people searching for standard jobs and putting more effort into their online persona.
