The social media industry is on the rise, yet nowhere is it labeled an industry. Millions of people consider content creation their job, yet nothing legally or officially labels it a profession.
In 2022, YouTube provided around 390,000 full-time jobs, and in 2023, the “creator economy” was valued at $250 billion. Yet there’s no regulation to be found, leaving this industry and its inhabitants vulnerable.
With no regulations in place, people who consider content creation their career are extremely unprotected. Inconsistent income and job instability are constant threats for most creators on the internet. Companies can change rules and monetization on a whim, and losing the favor of the algorithm can ruin careers.
The field is currently being criminally ignored by those who could create more stability for struggling creators, and something needs to be edited to include these individuals within typical career protections.
Whether you work in social media, or you’re just a typical consumer, social media has proven to be incredibly invasive. Many begin to develop mental health issues when they get too entrenched in the internet.
People begin comparing themselves to those they see online and can develop a myriad of issues. Influencers get too influential, without any transparency.
On the flip side, work follows content creators everywhere. They lose any work-life balance. As said by Stanford Associate Professor Angèle Christin, “Writers write novels. Musicians make music. With influencers, you are the content.” It consumes them, as they’re always worried about what to do and when to do it in order to get the best results.
Similarly to how creators and consumers see the visions of an influencer’s carefully crafted perfection as fact, people are also at risk for taking completely false statements as fact, as long as it’s presented in a believable enough way.
Misinformation runs rampant on social media. Different platforms have begun to address this issue on their own volition, but no corner of the internet is lacking in lies.
If you open TikTok and see a news video that looks real enough, it’s more than likely that people believe it, ranging from “dumber” stories, like the M&M mascots promoting communism, to real stories about real people and events.
And the introduction of AI has only made this worse. Ever seen those videos where people have AI voices of Obama, Trump and Biden playing Minecraft? That technology could very well be used to make more believable content about those men and other influential figures in American politics and beyond.
Social media needs more regulation — nothing that infringes on the rights of users, as many argue against intervention for that reason, but we need something.
Opinions are fine, and no one can be forced to show their less glamorous side. But creators and their livelihoods could be protected, and misinformation could be curbed.
It’s all fun and games until a line is crossed, and for every positive we gain from social media, there’s a negative lurking behind.
