Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Many people dream of becoming social media celebrities like Raffi Ahmad to Mr. Beast. But that profession is not so profitable now.
Report The Wall Street Journal said the industry was starting to get crowded and had a lot of competitors. Social media platforms were also not as generous in giving commissions to content creators as they used to be.
One of them is felt by content creator Clint Brantley. He has been in the field for three years with his focus on mobile games. Fortnite.
During that time, he used the platforms Tiktok, Youtube and Twitch. Brantley is known to have more than 400 thousand followers on social media and an average audience of his content is more than 100 thousand.
But this does not guarantee that his income will be high. In the report, Brantley's income last year was less than the average annual salary of a full-time US worker of US$ 59,084 or Rp 950 million.
That's also what makes him still live with his mother and not choose to live alone in an apartment. “I'm very vulnerable,” he said, quoted from The Wall Street Journal.
It seems that this is not only felt by Brantley. Because The Wall Street Journal reported that it was increasingly difficult to earn a decent and reliable income as a content creator.
Previously, conditions were much better with platforms providing incentives to content creators. For example, TikTok itself has a funding program reaching US$1 billion during 2020-2023.
Youtube also does the same thing through its Shorts feature with funding of US$100 to US$10 thousand per month. Instagram's Reels awards fluctuating amounts.
But the policy was changed. At least for Tiktok must have 10 thousand followers with a minimum audience of 100 thousand in a month.
Likewise, Instagram is testing an Invitation-only program to fund creators who share Reels and photos. YouTube is also introducing a money-sharing program only for creators with 1,000 subscribers and 10 million views in 90 days, with 45% of ad revenue.
Everyone becomes an influencer
The term influencer is not foreign to us. But as time goes by, this industry is also getting crowded.
Goldman Sachs reports that by 2023, hundreds of millions of people will be posting entertaining and educational content on social media. Around 50 million people will be making money from the platforms.
Content creators will also continue to grow. The same report said their numbers will grow 10%-20% by 2028.
The addition would also contribute to the increase in the number of income earners. Although the US Department of Labor does not track influencer salaries.
Unfortunately, the more influencers there are, the less income they earn. Neoreach reported that 48% of influencers earned less than $15,000 or Rp245 million last year.
Only 14% can earn income that exceeds US$100 thousand or Rp1.6 billion. This inequality is related to several factors such as full-time or part-time influencer work, the type of content shared, and the duration of the career.
Emarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg says being an influencer is a very difficult job. She reminds those who make a living from it have been doing it for a long time.
“Creators who make a living as influencers have been doing it for years. Most didn't get big overnight,” the analyst said.
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