The internet and digital media are evolving at a rapid pace, and already they hold so much sway over our everyday lives. It only makes sense that our lifestyles change as a response to growing technologies – some more so than others.
While we may see this only as digital transformation, many others see opportunity. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, WordPress, and Kickstarter provide free and easy access to the world, giving several people the opportunity to make a living online.
YouTube and Instagram
Creativity and hard-work can take you far, and creators on YouTube and Instagram proved that. For the past few years, YouTube and YouTubers have been in the spotlight on and off for various reasons, from the vlogbrothers raising $2.1 million for charity to Logan Paul and the infamous ‘Suicide Forest’ incident. But whether they’re in the limelight for good or bad, it can’t be denied that YouTubers have this figured out. Some of the more popular YouTubers make between $16.5m and $10.5m per year. Of course, this amount of money doesn’t come from ad revenue alone. Many YouTubers sell their own merchandise, have donation pages, do brand deals, and even go on tour. Being a YouTuber – when you have that level of fame – is basically a full-time job.
Instagram is another social media platform that encourages individuals to be creative. For most people, it’s simply a site to share pictures, but several others have harnessed its reach to gain an audience. Artists, photographers, and fitness gurus are among the few that dominate this sphere, not to mention celebrities that share their daily routines, giving their audience an impression of intimacy.
As Instagram is less of a time-consuming platform than YouTube, the type of content that is put out there has to catch the eye and make the user pause. If you want to know more on how to make your own Instagram account spark interest, then have a look at this article. Artists, for example, use this platform to display their art work – be it comic strips or detailed illustrations. Most artists have their own stores, so there is the possibility to possess a physical copy of their work. Usually, artists on Instagram have a tight-knit community that supports them thoroughly. Most popular pages – not just artists – have the opportunity for brand deals, which gives them an income apart from their own merchandise.
Blogging
Blogging has been in the internet sphere for much longer than YouTube or Instagram. Finding a means to share thoughts and opinions through the written word was how people originally shared their views. And even though we now have visual media to entertain us, there’s still a demand for blogs, and bloggers are giving the people what they want.
Blogs today range from news and entertainment to personal and themed blogs. Blogs that are not run by organizations tend to support themselves by on-site ads, promotions on other blogs, promoting sponsored products, and invitations to special events. There are also several blogs that host other writers to write for them and pay them to do so. While the latter is not really sustainable, it’s still a way to earn a certain amount of money in a short span of time.
Blogging, like making YouTube videos, is something that one has to work on for years before it can become something great and a sustainable source of income.
Crowdfunding
One of the other perks that the internet has brought to us is secure online money transfers. Regardless of who you are, if you need funding for a project, you can turn to the internet for help. With sites like Kickstarter and Patreon, crowdfunding for passion projects has never been easier. Of course, there are always those that use these platforms for the sake of parody, but there are also those who genuinely benefit from them. If you already have an audience that enjoys your work, then such websites give them the chance to contribute to your work. Most people are thrilled to support people that they admire or a cause that they believe in. It also provides internet creators with a somewhat stable source of income that they can definitely rely on.
These platforms have created an ecosystem for themselves, establishing themselves in such a way as to be sustainable. Those that use these platforms do their best to gain the most out of it. These jobs might not be seen as ‘conventional’, but with the way technology and the internet are taking over, unconventional might one day become the norm. There is a lot of prejudice against the people that use these platforms simply because the work that they put in to make their content isn’t the same as sitting in an office all day and working away at a computer. While their methods of generating an income might not be traditional, the amount of work put into starting a project, editing and polishing it, and putting the final product out for the world to view is just as taxing as any other job. Many of these creators usually work individually, which means they have to attend to every aspect of the process themselves, with no actual team to rely on.
The internet has opened the doors to new possibilities in various areas, and the number of people using this to pursue their own creative dreams is only increasing by the year. While traditional jobs are seen as the wiser, more stable choice, there is something to be said for abandoning those conventional methods and going after something that you are truly passionate about, despite what society says.
