It’s no surprise that social media has taken over the internet. It’s our way of getting the news, following trends, and learning about each other.
But it comes with a price.
In the beginning, the accounts that rose to fame were either pre-existing celebrities, or nobodies in flyover states who were thrusted into the spotlight. Those accounts would eventually become known as “influencers,” and they gave the public what celebrities would not: constant access.
We saw what they ate, where they went on vacation, and the dance trends that they followed. We saw into their everyday lives and . . . it was boring. No hate to trailblazers – influencers were a whole new thing and I respect the new and strange – but they didn’t provide anything substantial. They weren’t doing anything.
I went on a job recently and an engineer rolled his eyes and said, “Oh God, you guys aren’t influencers, are you?” And I honestly can’t say I blame him for the reaction. We explained our backgrounds and expertise, and he relaxed a bit.
Content creators are, in my opinion, something new.
We have a specialty, skillset, or training. In my case, it’s mathematics. Admittedly, I’ve veered more toward science and technology in the last couple of years, but that’s simply because people have more of interest in it.
Our pages are dedicated to a specific field. We are scientists, artists, builders; the experts with real-world experience.
TikTok calls it “High Quality Content” and they are currently doing a big push to market themselves as the platform to provide material of substance. They, too, seem to have caught on that people are losing interest in the influencer.
Content creators are moving away from their predecessors. We don’t post our opinions as often (though of course, there are accounts that do). We don’t tend to showcase vacations, significant others, or what we had for breakfast. We are more about the subject than ourselves. The vast majority of the content is focused on providing you with a new skillset, interest, or simply to be amazed.
It's hard to say what the future for content creators will be, but since we have a skillset, I hope that it's to play more of a role in the world.