“Creators” ain’t what they used to be.
The word “creator” is really just a business term at this point.
The “creator economy” isn’t about creating meaningful things – it’s about monetizing attention at all costs. And what that really means is it’s about platforms using creators to capture attention for them, monetizing it, and giving creators just enough of a cut to keep them creating.
But not creating what the creators want – creating what the platforms want.
Most “creators” these days spend more time figuring out how to please the platforms than how to please themselves or their audience. The audience has become an afterthought because followers don’t matter – algorithms do.
Once upon a time I wanted to be a “creator” because I had things I wanted to create. I wanted to serve creators for that same reason.
But I rarely use that term to describe myself or the people I serve any more.
Because I’m focused on creating meaning and value – not whatever “creators” are doing these days.
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