What did surprise me, however, was this: out of those who call themselves creators, one-fourth have less than 1,000 followers, and almost 50% have less than 5,000 followers.
This confused me. In high school, I had roughly 100 followers. But I'd never considered myself a content creator. I guess, as it turns out, maybe I should have.
To investigate whether the idea that “everyone is a content creator” is true — and what it means if it is — I spoke with three content creators and influencers about their relationship to the label. Let's dive in.
Is anyone who creates content a content creator?
Li Jin is an investor and co-founder of Variant Fund, a venture firm investing in the ownership economy. Jin, who's been called The Investor Guru for Online Creators, believes everyone is a content creator.
As Jin told The Information, "No matter which industry you're in, people are all going to be creators …
This embrace of virtual brand-building is already starting to happen but will accelerate in coming years, as doctors, CEOs and other established professions, including venture capitalists, realize the importance of cultivating online profiles."
Jin adds, “Everyone will have to build influence online, because we're living more of our lives online … All of us will have to adopt some of the skill sets and behaviors of creators in order to be successful.”
If a content creator is defined as someone who “produces entertaining or educational material that caters to the interests and challenges of a target audience”, then it makes sense to label anyone with a social profile as a content creator.
It doesn‘t matter whether it’s just me posting a funny Instagram video to share with my 300 followers or a major TikTok influencer doing the same thing for her 3 million fans.
Leslie Green, HubSpot's senior social strategy manager, agrees. She says, “Nike believes 'everyone is an athlete,' and I also believe everyone is a content creator. There may be varying levels of skill, but if you have a phone with a camera, you're a content creator.”
Internet personality Jensen Tung also supports that statement, saying, "I believe anyone who creates content is a content creator. The term should not be gatekept, because who determines the cut-off line?”
Tung notes that what counts as a high follower count varies across platforms. Tung emphasizes that tying content creation with money and followers commercializes the activity and neglects the artistic side of content creation.
“Just like how athletes are labeled amateur athletes and professional athletes, I believe content creators can be labeled similarly. A content creator who makes money can be labeled a professional content creator,” Tung says.
A few years ago, being a content creator — or influencer — required a certain follower count to earn the title, and it was a relatively exclusive club reserved for brands, mega-influencers, or celebrities.
Now, anyone with a smartphone has the opportunity to become one.
There‘s something incredibly freeing about this: As we broaden the scope of what we mean when we say “content creator,” we’re inevitably opening the doors for more diverse voices.
This means consumers worldwide can find content creators who mirror their unique, distinct experiences.
Our 2024 Consumer Trends Report showed that when customers consider the types of content brands post on social media, 38% find relatable content to be the most memorable.
In other words: Content doesn't need to reflect one singular version of reality anymore. Now, it can encompass all of them.
Nicole Phillip, The Hustle's senior social media manager, told me she sees major benefits to the fact that there are no guardrails when it comes to labelling yourself as a content creator.
As Phillip puts it, “Content creator is definitely an overused descriptor … But that speaks to how accessible the arena is, which in some ways is great for people who otherwise would've hit glass ceilings or invisible walls trying to get their work out there through conventional means.”
To become a content creator, you only need a smartphone.
Admittedly, there are levels of skill, expertise, and influence within the creator economy, just like there are levels in any profession.
But what‘s surprising is that, unlike other professions, there’s no entry-level requirement to becoming a content creator.
You don't need to possess certain skills or live in a specific region or be an expert in a particular field. You just need to own a phone or a computer.
That’s perhaps what makes it so enthralling for so many. Consider, for instance, how the hashtag #contentcreator reveals more than 9 million results on Instagram:
What's equally interesting is the growth of the creator economy over the past few years Goldman Sachs reported that the creator economy market could nearly double over the next five years from $250 billion to $480 billion by 2027.
The creator economy, a term that refers to the marketplace of content creators as it relates to businesses, skyrocketed during the pandemic.
The pandemic also greatly impacted the requirements of becoming a content creator. As people were stuck at home with nothing but their phones, they had to make due. And, as it turned out, audiences didn't care about super-polished content, anyway.
Instead, audiences appreciated and sought out the more authentic posts that spoke to the true state of the world.
As Phillip acknowledges, “Being a content creator used to mean you had a super large following and created original content that would consistently go viral to large audiences. Then, we started having micro and nano-influencers, which lowered the barrier to entry, so there's no particular follower count necessary, either.”
She adds, “In terms of content types or quality, there's an audience for every niche and ability, so someone who only has an iPhone 8 just recording their thoughts during their morning commute can compete in the same space as a celebrity makeup artist operating with a DSLR and an entire team.”
It's undoubtedly thrilling to consider the possibilities of creative individuals with fewer resources competing in spaces with high-profile, mega-rich celebrities.
But that leads me to my next point: What's the end game with all of this, anyway?
Becoming a content creator on social media is no longer a means to an end.
A few years ago, becoming an influencer was oftentimes a stepping stone to fame.
A few names come to mind: Consider King Bach, who became famous on Vine and has since starred in multiple TV shows, including The Mindy Project and Punk'D; or Addison Rae, a TikTok dancer who was recently featured in Netflix's movie He's All That.
And yet, nowadays, becoming an influencer is in-and-of itself the goal.
One TikTok creator, Brady Lockerby, decided to become a full-time TikToker after recognizing the financial incentives outweighed her previous employment.
As she notes, she made roughly $50,000 in her corporate 9-to-5 job. By comparison, she now makes upwards of her yearly corporate salary in one month.
Lockerby told me, “The first time I posted on TikTok, I never expected it to turn into what it is today for me. It's something that truly just fell into my lap. Once my TikTok career started to take off and I realized, 'Wow, this could actually be my job,' I made the plunge and quit my job. Freedom was probably the driving force.”
She adds that nowadays most people are interested in money and receiving free items. However, she still believes that building authentic relationships is key.
“Whether that‘s with your followers or a brand, if you don’t have that trust, no one will believe your content. You make the choice to put your life online, and it makes my heart warm to know that people genuinely care about not only what products I'm promoting that month, but about me and my life,” Lockerby says.