How to be a creative when you hate the creator economy
I just am not called to make “clickable content” or “drive engagement” based on the criteria of consumerism
The creator economy has afforded artists of all mediums around the world with the ability to make the things they love and get paid for them. In essence, it is a democratization of the creative world — anyone can share what they’re working on and anyone can consume the art. My personal politic makes me extremely supportive of the decentralization of power, and on the tin the creator economy does just that. But like most things with good intentions, this “democratization of creativity” doesn’t really shake out equitably in practice.
Platforms are built by people, and the ones that proliferate our lives are built by people from the privileged class with wealth as their motivator. This motivator directly informs their worldviews, which almost always align with the subjugation of oppressed people all over the world. Therefore, their platforms facilitate marginality and encourage people to hurt each other to boost their analytics.
I just am not called to make “clickable content” or “drive engagement” based on the criteria of consumerism. Bo Burnham says it best, in my opinion:
“You know, maybe…
