Why making a buck online is not the easiest thing

On a typical morning, Chrissy Chlapecka lets the dog outside, spends an hour on professional makeup and hair and carefully selects an outfit. Then Chlapecka, a 21-year-old Chicagoan, starts work as an internet creator.

Chlapecka posts at least one short video a day on Instagram and TikTok, where she has a combined 4.5 million followers. Nothing dramatic happens in the videos. But Chlapecka is who you might imagine if Lady Gaga were your favourite barista dishing out advice and zingers. (In fact, Chlapecka used to be a barista.) In a few seconds of video recorded at home or in a mall, she seems at ease. Chlapecka invites viewers — particularly gay people and women — to feel good about themselves with an online personality that Chlapecka described as “an encouraging big sister type.” (Readers, please note that Chlapecka’s videos are –not necessarily family-friendly.) But this is also work.

In addition to daily posts, Chlapecka records rough cuts of videos to save for the days when the creative juices might not be flowing. In line at the grocery store, she jots down concept ideas. Chlapecka weighs in on pitches for promotional videos to incorporate certain products or song clips that companies hope will take off. She also told me about hosting a gig at a comedy club and creating strategies to build a bigger fan base on YouTube and sell merchandise to fans.

For many people like Chlapecka, who try to make a living from entertaining or sharing information online, their job is part Hollywood producer, part small-business owner and all hustle. “Some people really underestimate the work that creators do,” Chlapecka told me. “I wish they would understand more that this is a real career — and it’s a serious career — and a form of entertainment.” Chlapecka knows some people believe she’s just goofing around on the internet. But it takes skill and perseverance to come up with fresh ideas day after day, establish rapport with online followers and stay on top of the constantly changing algorithms and tastes of internet users.

No one person is representative of the millions who try to earn a living from their online creations. But Chlapecka offers a glimpse at what this work is like and how creators earn money. This job may not look like yours or mine, but it can be gratifying and maddening like most work. As with many online personalities, the biggest chunk of her income comes from firms that pay to have their products or songs featured in videos. Chlapecka has also earned money from Cameo, a service for people to pay for personalised videos from celebrities and sports stars.

Like many other creators, she is harassed and threatened online. Social media stars succeed by creating intimacy with followers, but she said hecklers act as though the person they see through a smartphone screen doesn’t have feelings. “People behind the camera are human beings, and we deserve to have boundaries and respect,” she said. This is the life of creators, a staple of the digital economy. They fill the apps that consume our leisure hours. It’s a career aspiration for young people that didn’t exist a generation ago. It can be all-consuming, invasive and precarious — and also, fun.

Ovide is a columnist with NYT©2022

The New York Times