NEW YORK (AP) — You’re not alone: The word “melancholy” is used to describe just about everything online these days.
It all started earlier this month when TikTok creator Jules Lebron I posted a video It quickly became a hot topic on social media. Her hair and makeup while she goes to work? Very subtle. Combined with the scent of vanilla perfume? A real attention to detail.
In just a few weeks, LeBron’s words have become the latest vocabulary. Defining the Internet This SummerWhile her own viral content continues to use adjectives like “discreet,” “thoughtful” and “adorable” to describe various low-key daily activities, several other celebrities have jumped on the trend on social media platforms. Jennifer Lopez and Penn Badgley They too shared their playful opinions, even the White House. Boast The Biden-Harris Administration’s recent student loan debt relief efforts.
LeBron’s “very thoughtful, very unassuming” rise to influence also has important implications for TikTok users themselves. LeBron, who identifies as a transgender woman, Last week’s post She can now raise the funds she needs for the remainder of the transition period.
“One day I was working a cashier and filming videos on my break, and now I’m traveling all over the country hosting events,” LeBron said in the video, saying her experience on the platform has changed her life.
She’s not alone. In recent years, several online creators have Found a meaningful income While this can happen after social media fame, it’s still very rare and by no means easy.
Some experts say:
How can fame on TikTok translate into a meaningful income stream?
There is no single recipe.
Finding the resources to work as a full-time creator is “not as uncommon as it was a few years ago,” said Erin Krystyniak, vice president of global partnerships at marketing collaboration company Partnerize, but it still requires creating relevant content, and often requires juggling if you want to monetize it.
Most TikTok users who make money on the app work a combination of jobs. Those who are accepted into TikTok’s creator marketplace, a platform for brands and creators to collaborate, “can earn rewards directly from views on TikTok,” says Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor at Cornell University’s School of Communication. However, those rewards are typically not very high.
Other avenues of monetization include more direct brand sponsorships, creating merchandise for sale, fundraising during live streams, and collecting “tips” or “gifts” through features available to users who reach a certain number of followers. Much of this comes down to work outside the platform.
And the creators, especially Possible ban The U.S. version of the ByteDance-owned app is currently In a legal battleDuffy added that many businesses have been working to expand their online presence so they can “have a financial lifeline” if their main source of income disappears.
Is it hard to maintain?
Gaining support in the macrocosm of the Internet is difficult in itself, and some people have it all. Incorporating trends Resonated and found a source of compensation Allowing you to quit your 9 to 5 jobIt still takes a lot of work to keep it going.
“These bursts of online fame don’t necessarily translate into stable, long-term careers,” Duffy said. “On the surface, it’s widely touted as a dream job… but I think that’s a very superficial understanding of how the profession works.”
Duffy, who has studied social media content creation for a decade, said she has heard stories of creators who make huge amounts of money from various income streams some months and then nothing other than that. “It’s similar to gig economy work because of the lack of stability,” she explained.
“The vast majority of creators are not full-time,” added Eric Dahan, CEO and founder of influencer marketing agency Mighty Joy.
Burnout is also all too common. Duffy said it takes a lot of emotional labor to pull content from your own life, along with the pressure to maintain relationships with brands and the possibility of losing your audience if you take a break. There’s also the ever-present risk of being exposed to hate and online harassment.
Is the landscape changing?
Like everything online, the environment for creators is constantly evolving.
Demand is also growing: More platforms are attracting not only users but especially aspiring creators to their sites, and that coincides with an increased focus on marketing products and brands in these spaces.
Companies are working to “meet consumers wherever they are,” said Raj Srinivasan, a marketing professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. Social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram have also built out their services in recent years to attract this kind of content, but for now, “this is TikTok’s golden opportunity,” he added, noting that the platform’s Maintaining a leading position in the market.
And for aspiring creators hoping to make it big, Dahan advises them to just start somewhere — as LeBron’s success shows, “you never know what’s going to happen,” he added.
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AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this report from Oakland, California.
