Just a decade ago, explain what a “content creator” was more sounded to Hobby than business model. Today, more than 200 million people in the world identify themselves as digital creators, of which 50 million are considered professionals, according to Signalfire. The economy of the creators – that ecosystem before marginal and now central – is redefining not only how income is generated, but how culture, community and professional purpose are built.
It is no longer just young recording from their room, it is the birth of an industry with global impact. Platforms such as YouTube, Tiktok or Instagram have evolved from being digital scenarios to share content, to become centers of economic power where creators not only monetize views, but also found brands, products, media companies and cultural movements.
Today, 44 % of creators work full time in the creation of content, and do not only by income, but driven by creative freedom, autonomy and the possibility of building something of their own.
What began with the economy of attention, became an economy of belonging, and now enters an even more disruptive stage: the property economy.
In this new phase, creators not only seek visibility or connection with their audience: they seek control, autonomy and real participation in the value they generate. Intellectual property (IP) becomes the central asset of the creator. Who has a solid community, a recognizable narrative and a positioned personal brand, has an IP with global licensing potential, either for products, content, experiences, collaborations or even audiovisual formats.
Creators who before only generated content for platforms today register brands, launch product lines, adapt their identity to traditional media and negotiate their rights as franchises.
But this evolution also comes with a warning. The arrival of generative artificial intelligence marks a turning point: now technology not only distributes content, it can also create it. Advances capable of imitating voices, faces, scripts, illustrations or narrative styles in seconds open a fascinating window … and dangerous.
We are at a time where the original talent competes with trained algorithms to look human. The line between inspiration and impersonation becomes increasingly blurred. And with it, fundamental concepts are tested as authorship, rights of use and value of intellectual work.
What is in dispute is not only who believes, but who has the right to build value from the created. At stake is the creative and economic sovereignty of an entire generation. When the land becomes uncertain, some expect instructions. The creators, on the other hand, are drawing their own maps.
Break the 9am to 5pm mold
From corporate experience, I had the privilege of leading strategic relations on YouTube for creators, agencies and public figures in Latin America. But the greatest learning did not come from dashboards of metrics, but of the power of the creators to mold industries outside the traditional channels.
Content creators such as Luisito communicated went from narrating adventures with a camera, to build emporiums with business lines that include restaurants, telephony, a tequila liquor valued in more than 80 million dollars, books and more. These creators did not adapt to the system. They reinvented him.
In the economy of the creators, who writes scripts, designs logos, edits videos, platforms program, manages campaigns or develops communities. A content creator is much more than someone who generates videos or posts on social networks. It is the one who produces value through your knowledge, talent or narrative, distributing it digitally to an audience.
A creator can be an influencer, writer, artist, musician, designer, educator, programmer, community leader or product seller. If you use digital platforms to build an audience and monetize a proposal, already part of this ecosystem. That is, if you post on networks, share your ideas or sell your online expertise, you are already part of the ecosystem.
According to Stripe, the global technology company that offers internet payment infrastructure, 60% of content creators believe that their career is a viable form of self -employment. Many of them have also become living startups, expanding their proposal to verticals such as retail, fashion, gastronomy, education, wellness, production among others. Some sell digital products, others found consumption brands or monetize via memberships and subscriptions. The creator becomes the brand, and the brand in the business.
However, the current system still has its limitations. On web 2.0, power remains in the hands of the platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, Spotify, Twitch, Onlyfan, X, Shopify, Patreon and others. It is they who control the rules of the game and data. In other words, creators monetize, but they are not owners of the land where they build.
This is where the vision and the future challenge enters. Where should this system evolve so that creators have control of their own game and sovereignty about their contents and communities?
The formula: purpose, community, proof
Is there a recipe to “succeed” in the economy of creators? There is no magic formula, but there are key pillars:
- Authentic purpose: Why and who do you think?
- Significant community: You don’t need millions, you need connection.
- Strategic proof: Being viral is not the goal. Be relevant, yes.
Creating with intention is creating with future.
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The new rebirth
The Industrial Revolution accelerated global economic development in more than 200 years by mechanizing processes and multiplying productive capacity, Internet compressed decades of innovation in less than one generation, democratizing access to information, communication and distribution.
These days, we are witnessing a third great wave: a transformation led by creators and enhanced by artificial intelligence. This new era not only optimizes processes: it raises human knowledge as the main economic asset, allowing millions of people to convert their expertisecreativity and community in scalable capital. What before taking decades to build, today can happen in months. And what seemed exclusive to a few, is now possible from any corner of the world.
What we are living is not just a technological disruption or a media boom, it is a new rebirth. One where creativity, authenticity and attention become economic assets.
In this rebirth, the rules are being written in real time. There are no paths set, but a historical opportunity: redefine work, success and influence from the individual and not from institutions. According to Gallup, 60% of global workers are emotionally disconnected from their jobs. The economy of the creators proposes otherwise: work from passion, not from the obligation. Because in the end, this is not only of platforms, algorithms or monetization. It goes from people who decided to turn their voice into a vehicle, their history into bridge and talent, in business model.
The economy of the creators not only redefines work: redefines power, and in this new order, creating is no longer an individual act, it is a collective force that is rewriting the future, community by community.
The world has already changed, and who believes, leads.
The author co-Co-Entertainment & Media, author of The Hidden Economy-the first book in Mexico about the economy of the creators-and one of the most influential leaders in media and digital entertainment. With more than 12 years of experience in Latin America and the US Hispanic market, it has developed digital content, alliances and business strategies for influencers and brands, promoting innovation and growth of the economy of content creators.
This article was originally published in the Printed Edition of Forbes Mexico of September.
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