Software started out being specific — designed just for one person even — then expanded to a broader audience by trying to appeal to everyone and losing its identity in the process. In the wake of the uniform brand identity crisis in the tech industry, I believe we need to return to specificity in order to appeal to users more broadly.
Today, there are a handful of ways creators monetize their online content. While not fully exhaustive, the most popular and widespread mechanisms are 1) Advertisements 2) Subscriptions 3) One-Off Sales/Donations 4) Brand Sponsorships & Influencer Marketing and 5) Affiliate Marketing.
These meme “investors” are competitive, with Forbes having published a ranking of the community’s “top investors.” There are even in-depth guides to help usher in novice meme traders.
There's this ever-present myth that we've slashed funding for public education in the US over the last 40 years, but meanwhile we've tripled it in terms of cost per student — and results have been flat: a massive price increase with no positive change to quality.
Small creators want discovery. They’re grinding away for that extra viewer or reader and don’t have the luxury to think about monetization until they have an audience.