The consumer purchase decision process has changed dramatically. Today, information and opinions are readily available to consumers at every stage of their purchase decision, making them more informed. What's even more transformative is the power consumers now hold to share their experiences—whether positive or negative—with a global audience. This shift has turned passive consumers into active participants in shaping a product’s or brand’s reputation.

In my experience, there’s a significant misunderstanding in how transformative the identity of “creator” has been on society. This blog aims to complete a more conclusive narrative of exactly what the “creator” ecosystem — is doing, how it’s changing, and how on earth it got to be worth tens of billions of dollars globally.

Ecosystem? Economy?

To start, as someone who’s spent time as close to the center of the creator ecosystem, I’ve noticed that people often reduce the entire ecosystem as exclusively an, “economy.” We don’t do this to any other profession (independent or corporate) or cultural identity. We don’t talk about the "lawyer economy" or the "doctor economy." Why is it that when people become creators, suddenly they’re part of some special "economy"? I think the answer is that people still don’t know what to make of creators. They’re trying to fit them into old categories that don’t quite work.

This oversimplification is, in part, what’s led the venture ecosystem to invest over $2.4 billion in so-called 'creator economy' companies. Ask any startup citizen and the sentiment is sour. They’ll begin explaining how the “creator economy” is a repercussion of a 2020-hyped, inflated economy. Cash flow or not, the returns of both creator-focused and creator-run companies and funds are underwhelming, generally. Yet, despite this, businesses driven by influential individuals are at the center of venture capital’s focus more than ever.

Why Creator Matters

So what’s the actual use of online individuals of influence to the tech ecosystem? One thing is clear: traditional tech has lost both the trust and attention of the average consumer. Software companies used to be able to rely on consumers trusting them to do the right thing: in product creation, brand curation and consumer protection. But that’s clearly changed. The average consumer doesn’t just use software anymore; they question it, critique it, and influence others to do the same. It has never been a cheaper and more turn-key time to start a company: tech or not. As we move into a world filled with automated, incubated, and lifeless cut & dry companies and brands, the human element that creators bring has never been more valuable.

Individuals who have mastered the transition into the 'creator ecosystem' don’t need to fit into traditional models of business. They don’t need to find "product-market fit" in the traditional sense. Instead, they’ve developed a new kind of fit—or what I would call "founder-customer fit."

Creators understand their audience better than most founders understand their customers. And that’s a powerful thing.

A Thesis About Influence.

This thesis can be broken up into four key parts:

The Active Consumer: Today’s consumers aren’t passive. They’re part of the creation process, whether companies like it or not
Creator-GTM: Sustainable Virality: Creators don’t need traditional marketing. Their audiences spread their message for them, creating a more sustainable form of virality.
The Anonymous Economy: The cost of being offline & Total identity management: As online identities become more fragmented, creators are finding ways to manage their identities across platforms—and the cost of being "offline" is rising.
Pre-founder: People Driven Investing: We’re starting to see investments based on who the person is, rather than what their company is. The value is in the individual, not just the product.

This can be visible as a viable identity to track by the growing popularity of what I categorize as “Creator Studies.”

Note: While my experience is primarily rooted in the American creator economy, many of these societal shifts are visible across most capitalistic societies.

Creator is the New Consumer
Consumer to Creator Shift.
Ecosystem? Economy?
Why Creator Matters
A Thesis About Influence.