Ai Creator Economy

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Recent Articles about Ai Creator Economy
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Creator Economy

TikTok Reorganizes Content Operations After Pappas’ Exit

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 14, 2023 2:20pm PST
I’m kicking off today’s newsletter with some new details about internal changes happening at TikTok, this time in its operations division, which includes creators and content. The company has organized the hundreds of operations staff around three key areas: creators, publishers, and content strategy and policy. That’s different from... I’m kicking off today’s newsletter with some new details about internal changes happening at ...
Photo by NurPhoto via Getty.
Creator Economy

The Debate Over Teen Fitness Content on Instagram

By Kalley Huang · Nov 13, 2023 3:25pm PST · 2 comments
It’s Kalley again. On Friday, my colleague Sylvia and I reported on ongoing challenges at Meta Platforms over how to limit content that’s risky to young people. A centerpiece of the debate over youth safety and well-being is what sort of content Meta should limit on Instagram, Facebook and its other apps, and what the company should... It’s Kalley again. On Friday, my colleague Sylvia and I reported on ongoing challenges at Meta...
Photo by Shutterstock
Creator Economy

Threads Courts Reality TV Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 6, 2023 2:25pm PST
We’re starting the week off with a scoop about Instagram’s efforts to court creators. Instagram’s Threads recently invited some creators to join “Pops,” a new community of reality TV and pop culture creators on the text-based app. Among other incentives, it will offer challenges where creators compete to win unnamed “special prizes,” we are... We’re starting the week off with a scoop about Instagram’s efforts to court creators. ...
X CEO Linda Yaccarino. Photo by Getty
Hashtag Activism Returns to X
By Erin Woo · Nov 2, 2023 5:04pm PDT
X CEO Linda Yaccarino. Photo by Getty
Creator Economy

Hashtag Activism Returns to X

By Erin Woo · Nov 2, 2023 5:04pm PDT
Hashtag activism is back.Dozens of trans users of X have been posting their stories on the app formerly known as Twitter as a way of protesting conservative video maker PragerU, which purchased one of X’s most prominent advertising spots to promote a documentary arguing that gender-affirming care is dangerous for transgender youth. The... Hashtag activism is back.Dozens of trans users of X have been posting their stories on the app...
CocoMelon. Photo via YouTube
Creator Economy

Are Creator Startups Ripe For Rollups?

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 1, 2023 2:33pm PDT
As more creator economy startups find buyers, I’ve been hearing talk about the possibility of rollups: one firm buying several similar businesses and combining them, saving on back-office costs while expanding their markets. So far, there’s more talk than action. The private equity firms who typically back such deals have made limited... As more creator economy startups find buyers, I’ve been hearing talk about the possibility of...
Photo via Flip.
Creator Economy

A Social Shopping App Gets Popular Thanks to Costly Referrals

By Ann Gehan · Oct 30, 2023 3:14pm PDT · 1 comment
I’m Ann, and I cover e-commerce and retail for The Information. Lately, I’ve been hearing more about Flip, a TikTok-like shopping app that’s been dominating my conversations with e-commerce founders, as well as my X feed, for the past few weeks—thanks to a costly way of getting new customers. The app, first launched in 2019, offers a... I’m Ann, and I cover e-commerce and retail for The Information. Lately, I’ve been hearing more...
The YouTube Indicator to Watch
Creator Economy

The YouTube Indicator to Watch

By Sahil Patel · Oct 23, 2023 2:47pm PDT
Will short-form video ever generate meaningful revenue for creators on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram? The next three months will go a long way to answering that question. Just pay attention to YouTube. Advertisers in the summer committed more than $7 billion to YouTube during the annual advertising negotiations known as upfronts. These... Will short-form video ever generate meaningful revenue for creators on YouTube, TikTok and...
Magic Johnson. Photo via Shutterstock.
Magic Johnson Leaves Cameo's Board
By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 19, 2023 1:30pm PDT
Magic Johnson. Photo via Shutterstock.
Creator Economy

Magic Johnson Leaves Cameo's Board

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 19, 2023 1:30pm PDT
Kicking off today’s newsletter with a scoop: Cameo in recent weeks has sought to raise at least $10 million in funding, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Such a deal, if completed, would be a sign investors are still hopeful of the celebrity video site’s future. But the site has also lost a high-profile ambassador. ... Kicking off today’s newsletter with a scoop: Cameo in recent weeks has sought to raise at least...
Chart by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

Funding for U.S. Creator Economy Startups Is (Slowly) Recovering

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 10, 2023 3:12pm PDT
Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is showing slow signs of recovery after hitting a record low during the first quarter of the year, although it’s nowhere near the funding bonanza of 2021. Deals for services startups such as payments company Karat and link-in-bio and commerce startup Komi helped drive investments.U.S. funding... Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is showing slow signs of recovery after hitting a...
The rubble after Israeli airstrikes on Islamic National Bank of Gaza destroyed buildings and neighborhoods in Gaza City, Gaza on October 8. Photo by Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency via Getty
Creator Economy

X’s War Moment; Parade’s Influencer Marketing Costs

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 9, 2023 3:29pm PDT
X, formerly known as Twitter, is undergoing the first real test of its approach to content moderation since Elon Musk took over the app in late October. Hamas’ attacks on Israel over the weekend, and Israel’s strikes in retaliation, exploded over social media, including X. Viral moments from conflict zones, often uploaded by citizens, have been... X, formerly known as Twitter, is undergoing the first real test of its approach to content...
"Extremely Online" author Taylor Lorenz. Photo by Brian Treitler
Creator Economy

Mommy Bloggers, the Original Creators; a Threads Revival

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 3, 2023 2:44pm PDT
How is Instagram going to resuscitate Threads? By focusing on Black creators and finding the sweet spot between hard news and pop culture. That’s what my colleague Sylvia reported in her article Monday about what's going on inside Instagram as it tries to breathe new life into the app, a rival to X (formerly known as Twitter). The jury’s still... How is Instagram going to resuscitate Threads? By focusing on Black creators and finding the...
VidCon's inaugural conference in Baltimore. Photo via VidCon
What You Missed at VidCon Baltimore
By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 2, 2023 2:31pm PDT
VidCon's inaugural conference in Baltimore. Photo via VidCon
Creator Economy

What You Missed at VidCon Baltimore

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 2, 2023 2:31pm PDT
First, some breaking news: ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, is planning to buy at least $300 million in stock from current and former employees, a buyback that implies a valuation around $223.5 billion. That’s about 26% lower than the buyback ByteDance announced a year ago. In an unusual move, TikTok is buying back shares at different prices,... First, some breaking news: ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, is planning to buy at least $300...
YouTube's new generative AI feature, Dream Screen, creates photos and videos based on creators' prompts. Photo via YouTube
Creator Economy

YouTube Ushers in Fresh Wave of Creator AI Tools

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 21, 2023 2:42pm PDT
Startups this year have been busy launching artificial intelligence tools, from chatbots to editing features, aimed at lightening creators’ workloads. Now YouTube is the first of the major social platforms to go hard on its own AI offerings for creators. At its Made on YouTube event in New York on Thursday, the Google-owned company made... Startups this year have been busy launching artificial intelligence tools, from chatbots to...
Comedian Cat Alvarado reported early issues with Meta Verified. Photo: Kim Newmoney
Creator Economy

Meta Verified Works Out the Kinks in Public

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 20, 2023 3:05pm PDT
As we detailed in a story on Tuesday, subscribers to new paid offering Meta Verified have complained about their frustrating experiences with human customer support, a key draw of the service. The Facebook and Instagram parent has fixed another early snag, which prevented creators from changing their photo or name once they paid for the $12 a... As we detailed in a story on Tuesday, subscribers to new paid offering Meta Verified have ...
Afterparty co-founders David Fields and Robert Graham. Photo: Afterparty
Creator Economy

Afterparty Launches AI-Generated Creator Clones With New Funding

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 19, 2023 3:10pm PDT
Two years ago, VC hype for the creator economy started to merge with excitement for another hot sector: crypto. Companies that focused on creators and incorporated blockchain technologies garnered millions of dollars in new funding. While many of those companies are now flailing, some have still been able to raise capital, especially those... Two years ago, VC hype for the creator economy started to merge with excitement for another hot...
Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison. Photo by Getty.
Clubhouse Is Now an Audio Messaging App
By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 6, 2023 3:08pm PDT · 1 comment
Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison. Photo by Getty.
Creator Economy

Clubhouse Is Now an Audio Messaging App

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 6, 2023 3:08pm PDT · 1 comment
Clubhouse, after laying off half its staff in April to “reset” the company, on Wednesday revealed a long-awaited revamp. It’s updating the app to feature voice-only group chats with friends or friends of friends that happen asynchronously. The live, public audio groups that Clubhouse popularized during the pandemic shutdowns aren’t going... Clubhouse, after laying off half its staff in April to “reset” the company, on Wednesday revealed...
Paulina Hoong. Photo: Faith Cao.
Creator Economy

What TikTok’s $200 Billion Shopping Plans Mean for Creators

By Erin Woo · Aug 23, 2023 3:37pm PDT
This morning, my colleague Jing and I published reporting on how far TikTok is willing to go to make shopping a big business on the app. Leaders are aiming for TikTok Shop, its name for its fledgling shopping service, to generate about $200 billion in annual customer orders in the U.S. by 2028—or roughly what TikTok’s Chinese sister app Douyin... This morning, my colleague Jing and I published reporting on how far TikTok is willing to go to...
Photo via Shutterstock
Creator Economy

More Creators Have Trouble With Facebook Payments; TikTok’s New Trust & Safety Leader

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 9, 2023 2:21pm PDT
You have to wonder what’s going on with the systems Meta Platforms uses to pay creators. Some this week have seen an alert that their accounts are restricted from making money due to “unusual activity.” That follows a glitch we covered last week that vastly inflated Facebook creators’ estimated earnings from posting Reels with licensed music.... You have to wonder what’s going on with the systems Meta Platforms uses to pay creators. Some...
Tara Walpert Levy, YouTube vice president of Americas. Photo: YouTube
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Walpert Levy on the AI ‘Tsunami’

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 8, 2023 2:28pm PDT
YouTube is getting ready to release generative AI tools for creators. But unlike rivals such as Facebook-parent Meta Platforms, it’s less interested in chatbots—the conversational software that can take on a persona such as Tony Soprano. Instead, it’s focusing on tools that will power video editing or help creators generate ideas, said Tara... YouTube is getting ready to release generative AI tools for creators. But unlike rivals such as ...
Giselle Ugarte created an AI avatar of herself (right). Photo courtesy of Giselle Ugarte
A Creator Creates a Digital Twin
By Alex Perry · Jul 27, 2023 1:25pm PDT
Giselle Ugarte created an AI avatar of herself (right). Photo courtesy of Giselle Ugarte
Creator Economy

A Creator Creates a Digital Twin

By Alex Perry · Jul 27, 2023 1:25pm PDT
Social media creators have been exploring how they can use generative artificial intelligence to promote their personal brands, find inspiration and offload work. Giselle Ugarte, an online performance coach who has nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok, is testing whether the technology can help her with a particularly time-consuming task:... Social media creators have been exploring how they can use generative artificial intelligence to...