Tipping Culture Online: Why Creators Beg For Money
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- Опубліковано 2 січ 2024
- Support my content on Patreon: / roberttolppi
Is the rise of crowdfunding sites like Patreon and other forms of giving directly to influencers and content creators just tipping culture rebranded?
Data on influencer income:
neoreach.com/quarterly-report...
Fab socialism Patreon Video:
• The revolution will be... - Розваги
It's crazy how little social media platforms pay content creators. The creators literally make all the content that users come for. The companies just provide the platform but take all the profit
It's literally the same all across the board. I really think it's time we as Americans start realizing that this country is a company FIRST and a country last honestly. We're literally just here for them to take all our money.
it’s a mix… not every influencer is poor or rich. i won’t pay for a rich influencer… but if its a normal low income i won’t mind.
UA-cam pays its influencers 50% of the profit it receives from ads. Exposure does not equal money. I think the program is pretty fair.
😂😂😂 no dude youtube provide them tools for free and audience to vet a chance make money if there was no youtube they be lucky to just be a new anchor or a normal worker
May I add a gripe? UA-cam puts ads on channels that don’t qualify for monetization so now my content (and everyone else who hasn't met the threshold for monetization) are making revenue for Google with zero return. Yet another wild grift from the tech overlords 🤪
Same does Instagram. It puts add on my account all the time (literally an ad every three stories, and another one every 4 posts) but even if I have 120k followers, I'm not elegible for monetization bc I'm latin american. It's a sick sick joke
Right!?!? I’ve been on ig since 2011 as a blogger (45k followers) and they have never paid me a dime even after a decade of content creation (I’m in Canada so the monetizing is also not like the us either).
IM SO GLAD SOMEONE BROUGHT THIS UP! I was one of the creators affected by UA-cam's Great Small Creator Punishing For No Reason Of 2018 (that paul brothers forest thing was why they changed the requirements for YPP, this only hurt small creators and had no effect on the paul brothers and they are still millionaires) and a few months ago I decided to go watch one of my own videos because it was a VGM upload and I didn't feel like digging into my PC's files to listen to it. I got an ad. On my own video.
I haven't been monetized since the paul brothers fucked over small creators.
That fiasco killed my momentum in the algorithm permanently.
And I got an ad on my own video. What am i even supposed to say. Or do. *How am I meant to react to UA-cam stealing money from me and destroying any chance I had of ever getting any traction here?*
@@SnoFitzroy it’s demoralizing on every level! My videos have had ads on them for at least 2 years now but I’m miles away from ever getting monetized.
Even Adsense for blogs is bad - I’ve been rejected SO MANY TIMES for “policy violations” (they won’t specify which) and when I go through the list they link, none of it applies to me. Then I find other websites who have stolen my photos and copy that are fully monetized through Google Adsense. IT IS BEYOND INFURIATING.
And of course it’s next to impossible to actually contact Google let alone speak to a human being that might be able to fix it. I feel like I’ve been volunteering/interning for these tech companies since 2009 and I am TIRED.
I think lack of financial transparency is a big part of this. It's hard to estimate, based on their image alone, who is a "have" or "have-not". Ad revenue varies wildly. Tipping and Kofi-like services are super unpredictable income.
Yes! It doesn’t help that so many influencers feel pressured to show off their wealth even if it’s all a façade and they’re renting a room that looks like the inside of a pj. The vast majority of people associate Internet personalities with a mass of wealth and that makes it difficult for people that can barely keep the lights on to empathize
Definitely. For example, I love penguinz0 / MoistCr1TiKaL, but whenever he talks about rich people or lots of money, he makes it seem like its so foreign to him, while he is literally a multimillionaire
I despise what social media has become. No one is entitled to anyone’s hard earned money.
true, these people should see the real hard workers.
as in the workers actually working outside.
This is why I don't really understand donating to millionaire twitch streamers/influencers (who often don't even show gratitude for it; they don't have to, but it would be nice), there are SO many other content creators who can benefit immensely from that money that it simply doesn't make sense. No one benefits when you donate to someone who is extremely well off, not you, and definitely not them.
I know that tweet must’ve very upsetting for you and I do not want to make light of it, it makes me imagine sitting in a job interview and the hiring manager saying “well, based on your resume and experience, I would offer you $100k a year, but I see here that your father makes a middle class salary, so clearly you don’t need the money. Why don’t you just work for free?”
Social media is taking the restaurant approach & trying to put the burden of a livable wage on viewers. As much as I’d love to tip y’all, I’m barely able to keep my apartment warm this winter. We’re walking around layered up at all times like we’re about to go skiing while these platforms sit on billions. They need to pay y’all better.
Thank you for making this video! 🙌🏾 we're being exploited.
In 2015 I closed my biz to make content full time. By 2016 I was living in my car. Ppl didn't understand how I just crossed 100k subs, but had no money. They even mocked me and said I was "scamming" ....
It's sad bc the news promotes content creating like everyone will get wealthy and this isn't the case.
I even tried to convince a middle aged male classmate whose dream it was to "make a youtube channel" that there isn't money in it for the majority of people, but he thought I was lying to "keep all the money for myself"
Sighhhhh
Why don’t we just tip everyone working minimum wage then? I work at a grocery store busting my ass everyday, where is my tip?
seeking out your father's occupation details is pretty weird, and then pulling conclusions based on that minimal info is just disengenuous. Creepy behavior, and just because someone's parent has a 'good job' or what have you doesn't mean their kid is instantly well off or doesn't need to make a living like anyone else.
Celebrities are struggling, influencers are struggling, doctors are struggling. Jobs that were considered wealthy are barely bringing in income. All the money is going to 400 people in America and no one else
Think about the TikTok content houses for example. Those teens and young adults aren't rich. They live in a house rented by investors who take a cut of the brand deal money. If there isn't payment, the items and clothing are sent for FREE in return of them being walking advertisements. You can't pay bills with a tub of skin moisturizer and a Shein crop top.
I lowkey feel like this video used "influencer" and "content creator" interchangeably when the difference between the two is usually really important to whatever discussion is being had. "Influencers" get paid to influence, by name they are the ones making deals with brands and using #ad - content creators are creating any kind of content, from more famous artists to youtube documentarians to niche sewing creators and those are usually the ones struggling to make the poverty line.
It’s crazy. Jeffree Star is sitting on Tiktok for 8+ hours a day raking in thousands. Meanwhile he’s worth over 100mil.
the older generation near retirement age around me keep saying that platform economy is a huge opportunity, as if it's the next gold mine, no matter how many time I explain to them they still dont believe that it is a monopolistic, exploitational form of economy. Im so sick of them keep chirping about how "you just upload a video with zero cost, and you will be rich!" The ignorance...the naiveté of these people...
People are weird about things they don't understand
Could you explain a bit more about this? The old people in particular remind me of the Yt financial gurus and even big time Ytubers like Abdul Ali telling people the best way to make passive income online is through starting a Yt channel (since Yt apparently has the best rate of monetization than other platforms). I get the barrier of entry is still much higher than their making it out to be but I feel myself getting sucked into wanting this to be true. Hopefully my comment doesn’t summon any freakin’ bots tho!
@@hunni2968 it's like what Robert said in the video, the platform doesn't pay much to the creators, or sometime straight up just doesn’t. I get UA-cam is better than other platforms but that doesn’t change the fact that it is still HARD to monetize enough and there are elements of exploitations. so little people are able to make a living out of this, but meanwhile the platform is profiting off of all these free content that they don't have to pay a dime for. When you do make money, they take a huge cut on top of all the confusing algorithm. So it’s kinda like if a TV show you made is free to be broadcasted on a TV channel but the Tv channel decides how much u get pay and whether if it would be shown in a popular time slot or not, and you will have no say. And if your show has something their AI deemed inappropriate they will restrict your revenue with little to no explanation. The TV channel will not pay you a single thing for the money and work you put into your Tv show, except the revenue they decided for you, to me that can be seen as quite exploitative, (when in reality, TV channel pays TV shows to make it done so they have great program to air hence more audience and ad revenue, so UA-cam is kinda like the fun house mirror version of this) and imo it’s similar to the situation a lot of UA-camrs are in.
Platform economy is often banking off on millions of peoples’ free labour. Maybe people don’t consider upload a 30 seconds short video labour but it Is what they want you to do in order to make THEM money. it’s like the phrase “if the product is free, you are the product”. Sure, success is definitely possible but the fact is the smaller creators who get paid little to no money collectively is what UA-cam profiting off of as well. I’m not a creator myself so take what I said with a grain of salt but I work closely with a content creator, I witness a lot of time a work that we put great deal of effort in often does not equates higher viewership numbers, and it is basically an accepted reality. If that same thing apply to a regular job it would suck. Being UA-camr is just like any other entrepreneurship, there are risks and making money is not guaranteed, the amount of effort and time you put into it will probably fail, but UA-cam is definitely profiting from your attempts. I’m not trying to whine about it lol but just that when I hear people saying it’s easy money annoys me when the reality is that this is just like any other job and business, it could be exploitive and fruitless, or it could be a success. it’s definitely better to aware of the more cynical parts it
Youre The Best! Keep Fighting The Good Fight Mr. Tolppi!!💃🏾💃🏾Thanks!
Almighty algorithm, why have you forsaken my dearest Robert? Take my engagement and reintegrate him at once!
I have 120k followers on Instagram but because I'm from Latin America I'm not elegible for monetization. I have high engagement and meet all other requirements but most social media only pays Americans or Europeans at best.
@@CooP-dg7ky 1- it doesn't work like that, if my account is based in Latin America then it's a latin american account. That's how the world works. If you earn money from Latin american accounts and ads, latin american creators should also get payed. If ads in that region are cheaper then the pay should be equivalent. That's what UA-cam and twitch do.
2- no I do not have a relative who lives in the US or if there are they're incredibly distant so why would I even bother them in having them manage my account? Why should I be dependent on an American third party while Americans get priviledges? As if they weren't exploiting the entire global south already.
You do realize that you are placing the responsibility solely on me instead of blaming the discriminatory and xenophobic policies of Meta?
I think the issue is due to the way social media works the ones with the largest followings who need tips least and owe their audience so much more, are the ones who get the most.
No because our attention is what provides their paychecks. If they can’t afford their lives that’s on them.
I hadn’t even thought about the fact that the Damelios were ragged on whilst platform owners kept their heads down and earned.
Robert, everything you produce is so wonderfully concisely, bitingly well-written. The part about shaking and pouring a latte and flipping the iPad round? HILARIOUS !!
You’re always a joy to watch 😊😊
Second thoughts video about the middle class really cemented this for me. There really is only the working class and those who benefit from the working class but don’t work themselves .
Your channel is WILDLY underrated!!
i am a small content creator in college and i didn't get my first paid collab until aug 2023, two years after i started. I landed two collabs with a huge online store and a huge skincare brand but got paid a combined total of $700 despite all the content i made plus usage rights. I am extremely grateful because adding those companies to my media kit will encourage more brand deals but damn that barely made ends needs. A third of the money went to christmas shopping for friends and family alone, the rest doesn't cover half of my monthly tuition installment. I really thought most content creators were living it up until I started lmfao.
If you were in a restaurant, it would be illegal for them to take a single penny of those tips.
This is the best video I have seen in several weeks.
Another quality video - and just as I got home from work! Always a pleasure to watch your content!
No you shouldn't.
no ❤️
UA-camrs need to unionize
How though
They're not employed
Stop making videos approaching complex topics with nuance! I hate productive discussions! But for real, lumping in small to midsize creators with the million+ followers with numerous brand deals is such a disservice. Starting this video, my reaction to the title is a resounding NO. Likewise, as you said, TikTok and Instagram views and followings don't translate to monetary success. It's especially ironic because Instagram rakes in the MOST advertising revenue, even surpassing UA-cam, but barely pays out creators. And your comment about people assuming someone is wealthy because of their parent's occupation is so frustrating. Like if someone's dad is a lawyer. A public defender earns MUCH less than a partner at a private law firm. That also assumes that that person's parent is regularly employed.
Excellent video, and I'm looking forward to your future content!
5:28 I cannotttt 😂😂😂😂😂
Great video 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
My immediate reaction was no but listening to your explanation my disagreement is purely semantic, because i disagree with framing it as a 'tip'. Should we pay creators for content? If you can do so then yes you probably should. But i would not consider it a tip.
I agree with framing it at a tip bc you don't need to be a content creator/UA-camr. It's a choice. He explained it very well.
Just like choosing to be a waitress.
Just as it's a choice to "tip" a content creator as an audience member.
@@JadaSnacks I disagree with the framing because to me atleast a tip is an additional amount on top of the main payment for a service. Personally I prefer the framing of patronage. I give money to the creators i support because i want them to continue what they are doing, not as a direct transaction but just general financial support so that they can continue doing what theyre doing.
In a sense, your peers are also ppl who do cam shows and use platforms like only fans. I thought it’d be interesting to breakdown some of the differences/similarities I notice.
Many cam sites take a 75% cut, the workers only keep 25% of the revenue.
Much of the industry has a 35-65 split in favor of the platform. (That’s why so many have switched to or supplement with a OF now. OF revenue split is 80-20 in favor of the creator.)
Many major cam sites prohibit you from shout-outing out other platforms you’re on. You will get banned if caught doing so. Imagine if UA-cam didn’t allow you to shoutout your TikTok, your Etsy shop, your Instagram, etc…
Many sites also co-own your images and likeness..i.e. they can sell clips from your stream without giving you any additional compensation. Or they have unlimited access to your library of content…who knows what they could eventually use it for.
Many also give you the opportunity to sell behind-a-paywall static content (vs. a live cam). So that’s a feature they share with Patreon or even UA-cam. For some cam sites this is a pay-per photo/video model… not a channel subscription like on UA-cam/Switch so profits can generate in different ways.
Thanks!
Tipping influencers? Are you crazy?
i’m not gonna lie i started this completely judging this take, but wow you’re 100% right. such a well articulated and nuanced video
you served and i know you know it but you did it with such grace and honour i don't think most know it
Omg thank you
well explained
Wait so youtube could have people pay( and do) 18$ a month for no adds and then have a ton of adds for those who don’t pay and yall don’t get paid well is really sad
Wish I could sponsor my favourite content creators, be it comentary on current stuff, tutorials, gameplays or a 5h long video eassay about bus seat patterns. But I'm broke
I see a lot of tipping in livestreams.
a lot of my content creator friends do onlyfans on the side to be abel to make youtube videos, which says a lot about how terribly youtube pays its smaller creators
Begging your viewers for cash is always a bad look, Robert.
No escucho mucha música mexicana pero esta me gusta mucho ❤
They can, like, get a real job lol. We're all struggling but don't beg people online for help.
Is it begging? Or is it being paid for the service that they provide to you? When you watch TV someone paid the actors and writers. When you watch UA-cam that's not a guarantee.
@@FabulousSquidwardwhy would you pay for free content
Oh and twich takes up to 50% of my earnings
this video feels uncharacteristocally disjointed to me
I did not get the connection between the working class and well off creators on one hand and tipping and patreon, youtube, ko-fi on the other
also, did you describe yourself as an influencer? this channel is very distinct from influencer content in my eyes (which mostly boils down to advertising products, lifestyles or both)
doesn't ko-fi also do their own patreon thing, but with zero fees?
I think it’s called patreon
👏👏👏
Xo xo
not to pull a "in this environment?" but... in this environment? people barely get paid enough to pay rent and feed themselves these days. in a perfect world, everyone would get paid fairly, but that's just not the case.
i feel like instead of getting on your knees and begging for tips is just... not it. i have had moments where i have needed financial help **really** bad, and it has been the most shameful thing to have to ask someone from help. i suppose this is a personal issue...
but to have the audacity to ask other people for money is just a big no. i know that nobody is out here threatening followers at gunpoint to pay them, but i also feel like everyday i log on to see another, already privileged person begging for money that they, technically haven't worked for. someone else earned that money, and decided to give it to you. does that not make anyone asking for tips feel absolutely horrible? ashamed? embarrassed?
anyways, i hope i got my point across clearly and didn't come off too cold, as english is not my first language and i struggle to convey a point a bit.
It's not charity. You watch their content for free on a regular basis. A lot of us even using ad block.
I don't tip anyone anymore.. I pay for what is advertised and leave. I use the tip money I would have spent and buy myself more stuff.. economy 103
No, you shouldn't. That only brings more and more "influencers" to beg for money, the big corporations behind these platform have less and less reason to pay them. This "Donation" culture we have for a few years now sucks and I miss the time when content creators made genuine content in their free time, not expecting much views or money for it. These were more passionate times.
Nowadays it's all about viewer retention, aka entertaining fortnite kids, sex sells, drama or churning out the same content everyday like these sunnyV2 channels.
Yes, because the platforms don't pay them enough in order to reassure that they have enough to survive and so that they can focus on making quality passion content and projects, but this is not encouraged, instead lots of click bait content is
It takes equipment to make videos. It takes more time than you probably realize if you're not plagiarising. That takes money. Also, how many 4 hour long deep dives were being produced back then? Longform videos have become more popular because people are able to take the time to do larger projects. Because they can afford to do this full-time.
No. You should only pay them if you want, not out of e-begging.
And you didn’t even bring up the emotional and social energy one gives when in front of a sizable audience. That plus no medical benefits to fund therapy makes this career path seem infeasible.
How are you always so based 😭
What does "based" means to you? 🤨
Minimum wage and make video bam thats almost 45k a year income
Why do you look like a Roblox bacon hair 😭
😂😂😂you all made a choice. Try a different industry if it doesn’t make financial sense.
Thanks!