{"id":50053,"date":"2021-08-18T09:04:34","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T09:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amplify.nabshow.com\/?post_type=articles&p=50053"},"modified":"2024-09-15T01:43:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-15T01:43:14","slug":"the-creator-economy-is-in-crisis-now-lets-fix-it-source-li-jin","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/articles\/the-creator-economy-is-in-crisis-now-lets-fix-it-source-li-jin\/","title":{"rendered":"The Creator Economy Is in Crisis. Now Let\u2019s Fix It. | Source: Li Jin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\""Jackson
“Jackson Pollack” by andryn2006 is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. View a copy of this license.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNearly two years ago, I published \u2018The Passion Economy and the Future of Work<\/a>,\u2019 which laid out a vision for online work that was informed by and a reaction to the challenges of the gig economy. While the gig economy represented a major development in the evolution of online-enabled work \u2014 removing geographical constraints for work opportunities and offering greater flexibility \u2014 it also entailed risks that were disproportionately borne by workers: reduction of leverage, income instability, lack of rights and protections accorded to employees, and lack of autonomy. Through powerful network effects and ownership of data on customers and reputation, gig platforms serve as gatekeepers to their workers being able to access income. Some scholars argue that the gig economy \u2014 which encompasses 55 million Americans or 34% of the workforce \u2014 has eroded a century\u2019s worth of hard-won worker protections.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Source: Li Jin, Li\u2019s Newsletter<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

AT A GLANCE:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over on Substack<\/a>, Li Jin, founder and managing partner of early stage Venture Capital firm Atelier<\/a>, takes a deep dive into the evolution of the creator economy, including the challenges faced by creators in a burgeoning industry that primarily benefits \u2014 and is controlled by \u2014 a handful of social media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than 50 million \u201cmicro-entrepreneurs\u201d currently in the US, a number of new startups are aiming to serve creators and make it easier for them to earn a living. But Li argues that \u201cunless we radically change the foundation of the creator economy \u2014 how creators find and connect to a community in the first place \u2014 these solutions are incremental at best, and don\u2019t create a fundamental unlock for the issues plaguing the current creator economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In defining the challenges faced by creators, Li draws parallels to the gig economy: \u201cSocial media platforms have shifted from supporting creator individuality to commoditizing creators in order to maintain their grasp on user attention, a necessary ingredient for advertising-based business models,\u201d Li writes. \u201cThis dynamic undermines creator success and independence, making the creator economy just as corrosive for online workers as the gig economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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