Influencers Are Burning Out Fast. NewsWire

NewsWire: 6/16/21

• The young influencers of TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are burning out. These platforms all demand nonstop streams of new content to stay relevant, with no benefits and no time off. (The New York Times)
• NH: At the end of my recent piece on the rise of subscriptions (see “Welcome to the Subscription Economy”), I noted that people are the new brands. Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Patreon, or Substack, these platforms all rely on creators attracting big audiences. Their talent is anything from dancing to writing to pulling pranks. The one goal is to get and stay famous.
• But fame, as any celebrity can testify to, is fickle. And the work of an influencer is even more unstable than that of a Hollywood star. They are the ultimate participants in “hustle culture” (see “Millennials Are Writing the Book on Burnout”), churning out new content day after day with no set schedule, benefits, or time off. Even if they had a vacation, they wouldn’t take it, because hustlers don’t (read: can't) stop. As Jack Innanen--a 22-year-old TikTok star from Toronto--says here: “I feel like I can become washed up any second by an algorithm.”
• This story about influencer burnout might tempt some readers to break out the world’s smallest violin. Some of these influencers are teens and early 20-somethings who make thousands of dollars for 10 seconds of video.
• But the reality of their working conditions is, well, depressing. Most of them aren't making much. It's estimated that you need 24 million annual views on YouTube (and 270 million views on TikTok) to earn six figures. (See “Social Media Influencers Are Taking Over the World” and “The Rise of the Nanoinfluencer.”) Even those who claim to be living large are, in some cases, faking their glamorous lifestyles. Their work is undergirded with the fear and desperation that comes with knowing they could be replaced instantly. No wonder they’re anxious and burned out.
• We’re going to keep seeing variations on these stories. In 2017, Instagram influencers revolted en masse and began leaving the platform, citing mental health issues. The next year, YouTube stars did the same thing. Now it’s TikTok stars who are cracking under the pressure.
• While these platforms have responded by promising to address mental health issues, I would argue that the burnout is built into their business models. When you have an endless supply of young people who want to be stars, retention is not a high priority. This industry is a machine that chews them up and spits them out. This quote by Lauren Stasyna, another young TikTok star, captures the exhaustion and ennui of chasing fame: “It feels like I’m trying to capture this prize, but I don’t know what the prize even is.” It's a conclusion more creators are coming to, but there's always more waiting in the wings for their shot.