Why Are Creators Returning To Their 9-5 Jobs?

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• Influencer marketing drives more sales than social ads, reports The Information.

• The Biden for President campaign is hiring a meme manager to engage with the internet’s top content and meme pages.

Have you noticed the growing trend of YouTubers retiring from the platform?

Quite a few are stepping back from the camera, including Pewdiepie, MatPat, and Emma Chamberlain[ish].

One creator, Nate O’Brien, who recently announced he’s stepping back from YouTube to focus on other things, says, ‘You can’t “half-ass” making content.’

What’s going on here?

Lately, there's been a noticeable trend of creators heading back to traditional 9-to-5 jobs, and it's easy to see why. The financial stability in content creation just isn't there. Many creators, like Nate O’Brien, have found that relying on brand deals and other income sources is a rollercoaster. One month, you might be doing great, and the next, you're scrambling to cover basic expenses.

It’s stressful not knowing if you’ll make enough to pay the bills.

Another big draw of traditional jobs is the benefits package. Paid time off, retirement plans, healthcare – these things matter a lot, especially as you get older or take on more responsibilities.

The gig economy just doesn't offer that kind of security.

There's also the opportunity to learn and grow in a corporate setting that you don’t get working solo. Being part of a team, attending training sessions, and taking on new projects help build skills that are valuable across various fields.

Not to mention the fact that the corporate life makes content far more interesting and, well, relatable to share with an audience.

And let’s not forget the social aspect. Working from home alone can get lonely.

Many creators miss the camaraderie and collaboration that come with a traditional job.

The creator space is competitive, and not everyone gets a fair shake, especially minority creators who often have to fight harder for equal pay and opportunities. In contrast, traditional jobs usually offer more predictable income and clearer career paths, which can be a huge relief.

While being a full-time creator sounds glamorous with its flexibility and creative freedom, the reality is often more stressful.

The steady paycheck, benefits, skill development, and social interaction in a 9-to-5 job offer a more balanced and secure lifestyle for many.

My Take

As more creators head back to 9-to-5 jobs, we might see less content out there, but what’s left could be way more polished and professional. Brands might start sticking with fewer, higher-quality creators for long-term partnerships.

Platforms will probably need to step up their game with better financial support and benefits to keep their talent around.

Plus, we could see a lot more part-time creators bringing fresh perspectives from their day jobs, making the creator economy more sustainable and diverse in the long run.

Basically, don’t quit your day job, kids.

Instagram

• gives more users the option to share posts directly to their profiles.

• a 'Post quietly to profile' option has been rolled out for more users.

• shares that while Reels are limited to 90 seconds, users can post longer videos via the Post tab. However, the Explore or Reels tabs won't recommend these longer videos.

• adds a new “Inspiration” tab in the Professional Dashboard that includes popular Reels, trending songs and audio clips.

• “Made With AI” label is now being rolled out across the platform.

• a new safety control feature on Instagram called Limits. It helps people limit interactions - comments, DMs, tags, mentions - to select followers or Close Friends.

Threads

• Rolls out an updated desktop experience, allowing users to pin columns for different feeds such as For You, Following, Liked or Saved Posts, Activity, and other user profiles.

TikTok

• is now showing ads in the middle of videos, similar to YouTube.

• launches TikTok Studio, a creation and management platform.

YouTube

• Is introducing a feature to help creators understand why their videos receive limited monetisation by providing timestamps indicating guideline violations. This feature aims to enhance transparency and assist creators in complying with advertiser-friendly guidelines, though it is currently only available on the desktop version.

• is displaying search results based on specific segments of long-form videos relevant to user searches. When these segments appear in the search results, the red progress bar indicates where the segment is located in the video, and the video starts playing from that point.

READ: The first social media babies are adults now. Some are pushing for laws to protect kids from their parents’ oversharing, CNN writes.

WATCH: Instagram’s Adam Mosseri spoke with tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, AKA MKBHD, about losing followers and authenticity to using generative AI and his inspirations on the platform.

LISTEN: No matter how many times I hear him speak, I'm always captivated by Robert Greene sharing his thoughts on podcasts. It was fascinating to hear him in conversation with comedian Theo Von, especially as Greene is currently deep into writing his next book, titled "The Sublime," which was a major topic of their conversation.