The Blurred Lines: Work, Leisure, and the Rise of the Creator Economy

Steve Jobs' advice to align your career purpose with your passion can only come from a place of either prescience or experience. A reminder of what he said, in case you've forgotten: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."

At the time he said it, what he mentioned had no direct connection to the enjoyment we derive from our leisure hours. He was giving a commencement speech to Stanford graduates making the transition to the world of work. However, over time; coupled with the maturation of digital infrastructure, the distinction between work and leisure has become increasingly blurred.

The creator economy, arguably the intersection of work and hobby, is where one's actions are seen as being driven by passion first, with commercial considerations coming later. It is where you earn the permission to disrupt the normative demands of legacy gatekeepers to get your creations out, build a community, and evolve into a tribe.  

If content is king, then distribution is king kong

When Charles embarked on his journey as an upstart musician, his ragga style easily gained popularity because most Ghanaians could relate to that genre, thanks to Jamaican artists like Kevin Lyttle, Shaggi, Sean Paul, and Beenie Man, whose songs enjoyed regular airplay on our radio waves. However, his frustrations began with stakeholders in the legacy media and distribution spaces. Charles, whose stage name at the time was Bandana, felt he was not receiving the recognition he deserved. He took an indefinite hiatus and vanished from the music scene. Ten years later, he returned and rebranded himself as Shatta Wale. This time, he didn't just return as a musician but also as the president of the Shatta Movement, a community of dedicated fans of his music.

This community would prove to be his greatest asset in his rapid rise to stardom in the music industry, earning him several commercial deals. In contrast to the traditional practices in the music industry, Shatta releases his music directly to his community on Facebook, free of charge, eliminating the paywalls of streaming platforms. He leverages the support of millions of fans in his community to attract major shows and even compete with industry-backed players.

In the global south, musicians make more money from shows and commercial endorsement deals than streaming platforms. While the revenue-sharing feature of platforms like Spotify is attractive, it is not enough to sustain the show business lifestyle. For instance, in 2021, only 52,600 out of 11 million Spotify creators generated over US$10,000 in royalties. However, the interconnected capabilities of these streaming platforms and social media increase fan engagement and participation. It is this that creators like Shatta Wale leverage for shows. 

Surrender to the emergent culture?

Every tech innovation represents a cultural innovation since, inherently, they alter the way we live and engage with one another and our surroundings. We are now living in an endless realm of influencing others and being influenced by others. Our memories are now one tap away from the creator economy, in so far as we capture our moments on a digital device. 

It took me a while to accept the challenge to write about my curiosities and perspectives on a variety of issues. I used to be like the consummate diplomatic advisor who would lay all options in a technical paper and leave the decision to others. But I found myself in environments which encouraged me to choose an angle and defend it while opening myself up to be proven wrong by better angles. 

Engagement and Safeguarding in the Creator Economy

It seems that within our creator economy, entertainment-oriented content tends to attract more engagement than content with a critical or thought-provoking nature. It isn’t that we want to be happy all the time. It could be that we can’t stand the feeling of being proven wrong in public. Our creator economy operates in a power-distant paradigm. 

However, the falsifiability experience is a thrilling experience. In fact, it's a process through which we collectively enhance our understanding. Critical content serves the vital role of distinguishing reality from fiction. However, when fake information is presented as genuine and goes unchallenged and accepted as such, it can lead to the widespread dissemination of delusion. Digital platforms in the creator economy have lowered entry barriers for everyone, including those with dubious intentions. The responsibility for safeguarding the truth now lies with us. Given the content accessibility bestowed upon us by the creator economy, I think this is a fair exchange. When you are scammed, report it. When you come across a disingenuous piece of information, question it. Here is why it is important.

The digital information landscape is fiercely competitive. Those on the margins who make a living from the traffic generated by their websites care less about what’s true. 

Secondly, young people, the constitutive majority of Ghanaians, mostly in high school and freshman years in university, rely on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok for news and what is happening around them. This demographic might be tech-savvy, but they are also the most vulnerable to deceptive schemes within the darker aspects of the digital realm.

Putting it together

The emergent creator economy exemplifies how individuals can leverage their passions to build communities, disrupt traditional norms, and achieve success on their own terms. As we navigate this digital era, it is also essential to recognize the power and responsibility that comes with the democratization of content creation while emphasizing the importance of responsible engagement and critical thinking.