For a while now, many people have been able to earn a living from creating content for the internet. However, earning a ‘real job’ status has not been easy for these individuals. Many people are reluctant to agree that creating content is a real job. Studies have suggested that 20% of Gen Z dream of becoming a content creator full-time.
The reason why many are reluctant to accept it as a viable career option is mainly that it deviates from the ‘norm’ of an office job, with completely different hours of work and, sometimes, a much larger pay. But when these content creators work as hard as they do behind the scenes and can make a living, maybe it should be time for us to come to an agreement that content creation is a real and valuable job.
What do content creators actually do?
The term ‘content creator’ seems simple to understand in itself: it’s someone who creates content for a living. But, there’s a lot more that goes into content creation behind the scenes that the audience doesn’t see. Content creators on streaming and video websites such as YouTube, Twitch and TikTok essentially have to build their own brand/company from nothing, all the while building and maintaining an audience before they get paid anything at all.
Content creators also often have a team of people working with them behind the scenes. Larger creators may have merchandise lines manned by a specific merch team. Creators with multiple content channels may hire editors to edit their content for them. Many creators also have agents that work to book them onto creator panels at the likes of TwitchCon and VidCon, and into other events. Overall, their careers are largely based around their fanbase, and a lot of the work they do involves travelling to meet their fans and other creators.
Content creators can also be hired to promote large companies’ and brands’ products. For example, the popular energy drink company G Fuel have collaborations with content creators PewDiePie and KSI. Brand deals are often one of the main income streams for many content creators.
What does it take to be a successful content creator?
There is some amount of luck involved in making it big as a content creator, but that shouldn’t discredit the hard work and dedication they put into their work. Managing to earn a steady wage from content creation does not happen overnight, nor does it just come to anybody.
Content creators have to have creativity, imagination, good humour, resilience, great articulation, concentration and high energy. While not necessary, social and communication skills can go a long way with networking and collaborations. Having these skills can help to excel in a content creator career.
The downsides to being a content creator
The problem with refusing to accept content creator as a real job means that people who create content as a job are vulnerable to improper working conditions. Many content creators have to deal with harassment, bullying, death threats, rumours and competitive working environments. This undoubtedly makes their jobs a lot harder to do with large mental and emotional repercussions. Since the internet is mostly unregulated as a whole, content creators are left vulnerable. However, if content creator was accepted as a real job, it might push website and app developers to create better safety regulations to protect content creators from experiencing these working conditions.
Additionally, burnout is common in content creators. It can happen to anyone in any job as a result of overworking and not taking sufficient breaks. Accepting content creator as a real job will help audience members to understand why creators need to take breaks without them having to receive negativity as a result.
What does it mean if we accept it as a real job?
The growth of internet entertainment in the past couple of decades has been driven by our generation. Making the transition to new norms isn’t necessarily easy for older generations to do, especially if it’s a change to something they don’t fully understand. That being said, we should all try to accept content creator as a job as society’s entertainment avenue definition shifts.
Accepting content creator as a real job wouldn’t mean wouldn’t lead to devaluing any other jobs. It would mean giving content creators the recognition and credit they deserve. Creators put a lot of time, effort and creativity into their work. Diminishing it to anything less than a job is unfair to them.
Finally, content creators have large role model value to a lot of younger people. Their content spreads positivity, sometimes awareness, makes people laugh and feel happy, and can sometimes act as an escape. When content creators have this much positive impact on so many people, perhaps young people and children wanting to be like them when they grow up isn’t such a bad thing after all!
The takeaway message
The meaning of entertainment has changed since the internet took off. With the emergence of online entertainment being the main mode of entertainment for younger generations, it seems illogical to say being a content creator isn’t a real job. Their hard work and dedication to their content and their audience doesn’t go unnoticed. They deserve recognition for the effort they put into their work. It’s about time for us to accept content creator as a real job!