As the 2010s came to an end, content creation was growing exponentially. There were YouTubers for any niche you could think of, and streaming was growing on platforms like Twitch (originally justin.tv). The COVID-19 pandemic would only amplify this growth, as staying inside all day led to a lot of people either watching or becoming content creators. Another huge factor in today's creator economy is short-form content. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts make it easier than ever for people to be creators, and are one of the main ways creators connect with their audience.

 

Audiences' shift from traditional film and television to streaming and social media meant that advertisers had to make that shift as well. Huge corporations have partnered with content juggernauts, because they know this is a better way to reach audiences than using mainstream celebrities. And these aren't just cameos by the way, these collaborations are fully built around the creators, such as Mr. Beast with Amazon Prime, Kai Cenat with McDonald's iShowSpeed with DICK'S, or Logan Paul with WWE. While the creator landscape is wildly different than when YouTube first started, what we see now is definitive proof that top creators are on equal footing with traditional mainstream celebrities.