One day we'll all be creators

Two summers ago meolah posted a video prophesying saying she hoped the next generation of influencers would be regular people. Quickly, the back half of her video where she states, “I’m trying to see what a bitch in Wisconsin is doing right now” became a viral audio.

“[Being a creator] is something that anybody can do, and they’re watching everyday people start creating content and a massive following and make pretty sizable income — and then get that star power,” Stevens said.

Posting like an influencer (because we are)

Our audience has drastically shifted, and therefore so has our online behavior. While it would have been embarrassing for me to post about my morning routine to my 300 followers on Instagram in 2015 (who did I think I was? An influencer?), in 2024 no one bats an eye. We’re posting content that gets thrown... See more

On TikTok Shop, creators only need as few as about 1,000 followers to become an “affiliate.” On the app, they can scour a list of eligible products, request free samples to make videos, and earn commissions — usually ranging from 10% to 30% — if their videos lead to actual sales.

Once you know the tricks, it's hard to scroll through TikTok and not see the attempts to grab your attention and play nice with the algorithm. Rather than talking to each other, users trying to win the TikTok game are talking to reflections of each other, miming human connection so lines of code will reward them with more attention.

America has fallen out of love with brands and inlove with people. This is evident in every corner of American life — from politics and business to technology and media. People are the new brands.

Creators are no longer just influencers, reality TV stars, adult entertainers or #fitspo evangelists; they’re your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, your local bartender and that one guy at Trader Joe’s who always bags your groceries just right. It is a preview of what’s to come.

Cameo launched CameoX, allowing creators to self-enroll in the platform (before, celebs had to be hand picked and approved). “The amount of fame in the world is exponentially increasing,” Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said in a blog post announcing the launch.

First, some numbers: Gen Z spends an average of 109 days per year looking at a screen. Eighty percent of our waking hours are spent consuming information, up from 40% in 1980.