How much do terms matter when defining yourself on the internet?
It's clear that influencers create content and content creators influence their audiences, but what is the deal with the differing terms? A WIRED article from 2019 claimed that the terms were split along gender lines - with men preferring the title "content creator" while women tended to use "influencer". However, there may be more to it than that!
According to the Atlantic, the divide between content creators and influencers may be a generational one as well. While older generations often dislike the term "influencer" or see it as superficial, younger internet users see becoming a professional influencer as an aspirational and legitimate career path.
But where did these terms come from and how did they earn their own reputations? The term "creator" to describe internet personalities seems to have originated with YouTube's push to offer monetization opportunities to users. Yet, soon after establishing YouTube Creators, many other content platforms followed like Twitch, Tumbler and more. The newer platform Instagram went a different direction with terms like "Instagrammers" and "influencers". But creators/influencers today are no longer platform exclusive, nor do they only "influence" or only "create".
How do you feel about the terms? Do you see yourself as an influencer or a content creator? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram.
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SwayFluence is a matchmaking platform that takes the
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