Censorship Should Make You Rethink the Creator Economy
Protecting Digital Creators to Safeguard Free Speech
Prometheus, Fire, and the Battle for Information
After Prometheus stole fire from the Gods to give us technology, Zeus chained him to a rock, where an eagle came down and ate his liver every day. Since he was immortal, his liver regenerated every night, causing him thousands of years of suffering. Standing up to Zeus had consequences. Pursuing knowledge has always involved sacrifice. And just as fire sparked human progress, the internet was supposed to ignite a new era of freedom by democratizing access to information. Yet today, we find ourselves at a crossroads: rather than expanding freedom, digital platforms increasingly control and restrict information, often at the direction of powerful political and corporate interests.
The arrest of the Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov, in France for failing to comply with censorship demands and the confession by Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, that the company was pressured by the Biden administration to censor content on Facebook and Instagram highlight the increasingly precarious position of creators in the digital economy. And now, X (formerly Twitter) was removed from Brazil under government pressure, demonstrating how easily platforms can be forced into compliance.
Going after CEOs is a new twist; censorship is escalating at an alarming rate.
High-profile activists such as Shaun King have been banned from Meta’s platforms, while numerous other creators—journalists, activists, and independent commentators—have faced deplatforming, shadowbanning, or arbitrary content moderation without explanation or recourse. These incidents are nowhere close to isolated; they are part of a wide scale trend of governmental and corporate forces exerting control over the content that creators produce and distribute.
The idea of “misinformation” isn’t new. But the idea of using fear of information to create a closed ideological system is new in the West. "Misinformation" is increasingly any idea that those in power feel undermines their power. The solution for bad information is no longer more information. When governments and corporations get to decide what counts as misinformation, the power balance shifts from democratic ideals to authoritarian control. This is how it happens. Democracy ends because people give away their power starting with the power of knowledge. Nobody wants their liver eaten. But without knowledge, there’s no democracy, so we’d better start to solve this problem.
Hear me out. It may sound crazy, but in what follows I’m going to argue that the most effective way to combat digital censorship is likely going to be to establish strong worker protections for “creators” - particularly around transparency and content regulation.
By framing creator protections as worker rights, we may be able to enter through a backdoor. By pushing for new regulations that require transparency in platform policies and decision-making processes, we can at least ensure that censorship practices are less opaque and subject to at least some measure of oversight and accountability.
As mega corporations and governments tighten their grip on digital content, the need to recognize creators as workers is urgent. If creators are to be held accountable to similar standards of information vetting as traditional media outlets, shouldn’t they also be granted the same protections? This includes the right to fair compensation, freedom from unjust censorship, and access to legal recourse when their livelihoods are threatened.
There’s Too Much Information
The only reason we needed technology in the first place was to deal with our notoriously limited human capacity to remember. We store our memories on prosthetic devices like the mini computers we call phones. We connect via communities that reference and retrieve similar memories. With all this information at this point we can’t sort through it ourselves. We need guides.
Creators have emerged as crucial navigators. They consolidate data in the form of stories that reach us on video reels and audio podcasts. We can access them when we choose - typically, when we feel the need for social connection. Our creator guides help us sift through vast amounts of content, providing insights, analysis, and entertainment that resonate with specific interests and needs.
If you’re not feeling overwhelmed by information, basically you’re living under a rock. Global data creation has skyrocketed, growing from just 2 zettabytes in 2010 to an expected 181 zettabytes by 2025. This is insane. At least for a mere human this explosion of content shows up as an overwhelming quantity of information available today. Creators help to filter and curate, thereby enabling meaningful engagement with digital media. We vote them up with our likes and our follows, letting them know we appreciate their voices that organize the mess with emotion and opinion.
The transition from the attention economy to the creator economy represents a shift in how value is generated and distributed online. In the attention economy, value was primarily derived from capturing and holding attention - remember all that clickbait that now you would never click? In contrast, the creator economy emphasizes the production of content that is meaningful, engaging, and typically community-driven. Creators aren’t passive participants in this new economy; they are the ones actively producing the value by connecting audiences with content that informs, entertains, and inspires. They keep your attention. They connect you to commenters. They offer you likes. The job is exhausting. Often thankless. And sometimes it hurts.
But while creators generate significant value for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, they receive like a mini, microscopic fraction of the profits. For instance, platforms like Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) and YouTube maintain profit margins of around 35%. All their profits come from one thing: the content created by millions of users. Put into perspective, the small local businesses struggling against Amazon in your neighborhood typically operate with profit margins closer to 10%.
This unethical difference underscores just how leveraged these platforms really are. They are amassing vast, oversized profits from user-generated content while creators themselves struggle to make a living. A recent study by the Influencer Marketing Hub found that while the global creator economy is valued at over $100 billion, the vast majority of creators earn less than $1,000 per year from their content. Does this seem fair?
We Want It All: Autonomy and Creativity in the Creator Economy
What’s worse is that we - humans - are driven toward this kind of production. It’s like when you throw a ball for your dog; it’s in their nature to chase it, it’s instinct - and they love it. When we received Prometheus’ gift, we became modern humans, specifically homo sapiens sapiens - the human who knows they know. Sharing ideas and information is the essence of our species. It started with cave drawings and evolved to reels. It’s our nature.
At the heart of the creator economy is a powerful desire for creativity, autonomy and meaningful work. Many creators are drawn to this new form of labor because it offers the opportunity to break free from the monotony of traditional jobs. Technology has enabled us to escape from work that is boring and redundant, allowing more of us to pursue work that is personally fulfilling and creatively engaging.
Creators often trade the security of a regular job for control over their time, work environment, and creative output. Why? Because autonomy is deeply appealing and reflects a broader human desire for meaning.
This makes the predatory climate of online platforms all that much worse. Profits are derived from exploiting our desire for social connection, knowledge and identity. In a democracy we should be able to create a framework that protects creators from extreme exploitation, including arbitrary censorship and deplatforming. If we want to make the creator economy sustainable, we need to ensure that creators have access to the same rights, protections, and benefits as traditional workers because they are creating the value and profits. I understand there are arguments against this. But it’s actually very simple. Creators need to be cut in and protected.
We can embrace the incredible shifts of the digital age. We can recognize the importance of autonomy and creativity, and we can build a future where work is not only productive but also fulfilling. But to make this possible, we’re going to need to take steps to ensure that being a creator is not just next level worker exploitation.
Work will Never be the Same
Traditionally, a worker was someone who performed tasks in exchange for a wage, typically within the confines of a factory, office, or other defined workplace. The value of their labor was relatively straightforward: they produced goods or provided services, and their compensation was tied to their time and output. This industrial-era model of labor was the foundation of labor laws and protections that ensured workers were compensated fairly, had safe working conditions, and were entitled to benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.
However, the digital age has radically transformed the nature of work. In this new economy, creators are the workers who drive value by producing content that engages, informs, and entertains audiences across digital platforms.
Profit is now derived from the value of eyeballs on the platform and attention is granted via creators with whom we connect and identify. We consent to being part of their communities. Communities then basically coerce creators to create more and more and more and more with our demand for content. We are all on a content merry-go-round that runs 24/7 in perpetuity.
Unlike traditional workers, creators don’t punch a clock or receive a steady paycheck; instead, they generate value by building communities, creating engaging content, and monetizing their digital presence through ad revenue, sponsorships, affiliate links, courses, coaching and other means. This form of labor is every bit as real and impactful as traditional work, yet it exists in a legal gray area where the protections afforded to traditional workers often don’t apply.
The question of whether creators are workers hinges on the definition of work itself. If work is about creating value, then creators undeniably fit the bill. They produce content that generates immense value for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, driving user engagement, which in turn fuels advertising revenue—the primary source of income for these platforms. Despite this, creators are often not recognized as workers, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and sudden changes in platform policies that can drastically affect their income and reach.
We’re all creators now.
Before we dive deeper into these dynamics, we must ask: what does it mean to be a creator today? The term "creator" has evolved. Initially, it referred to those who produced content professionally—YouTubers, Instagram influencers, podcasters, and bloggers. However, in the digital age, the lines between creator, consumer, and worker have blurred. Nearly everyone who interacts with digital platforms—whether by sharing a post, commenting, or creating a video—is engaged in some form of content creation.
We produce. And we consume. We are hybridized. We are prosumers: individuals who actively participate in the creation and consumption of content, far more often than not without direct compensation. This shift illustrates how labor in the digital age is less about producing tangible goods and more about contributing to an ongoing, collaborative ecosystem. If everyone is, to some degree, a creator, then labor rights need to protect all digital participants, not just those who create professionally.
Why aren’t creators legit workers?
Given the value they create and the labor they perform, it is puzzling that creators are not commonly regarded as workers. Several factors contribute to this oversight. First, creators are often classified as independent contractors, a designation that allows platforms to avoid providing benefits or protections typically afforded to employees. This classification is common in the gig economy, where companies like Uber and Lyft have similarly avoided recognizing drivers as employees. However, while gig workers on platforms like Uber and Lyft still have some protections, such as minimum wage guarantees in certain jurisdictions, limited access to health stipends, and occupational accident insurance, creators often lack even these minimal protections, leaving them more vulnerable to exploitation.
Moreover, the nature of the work performed by creators is distinct from that of typical gig workers. While gig workers are paid directly for their labor, creators must figure out how to monetize their content after the fact. They invest time, effort, and resources into creating videos, articles, and social media posts, but their income is contingent on attracting views, likes, and shares—metrics that are often influenced by opaque and ever-changing algorithms. This dependence on platform algorithms, which can change without notice, directly affects creators' visibility and income.
Creators' attempts to unionize or strike have often been stymied by the fact that they are not widely viewed as workers. For instance, attempts to organize labor rights for influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram have faced significant obstacles, with creators struggling to build momentum and gain legal support for collective action. Additionally, the platform model inherently fosters competition over solidarity; top influencers with millions of followers often see little incentive to protest working conditions that disproportionately affect smaller creators. This lack of solidarity among creators further undermines efforts to establish better working conditions and protections.
Furthermore, the creator economy operates in a largely unregulated space, where platforms set the rules and enforce them with little oversight. This lack of regulation has allowed exploitative practices to flourish, with creators bearing the brunt of the risks while platforms reap the rewards.
To address these imbalances, it is crucial to push for regulatory frameworks that provide transparency in how platforms make decisions about content visibility, moderation, and monetization. By establishing clear guidelines and ensuring accountability, we could protect creators from arbitrary or politically motivated censorship, creating a more equitable environment for all digital workers.
The Case for Recognizing Creators as Workers
To address these issues, it is crucial to reframe our understanding of labor in the digital age. Creators are, in fact, workers—they contribute significant value to the economy through their content creation and community building, much like traditional employees generate value for their employers. However, they are not commonly viewed as such, resulting in a lack of access to critical protections and benefits that other workers enjoy. Recognizing creators as a distinct category of workers would have several important implications.
First, acknowledging creators as workers would highlight the lack of essential benefits that they currently do not have access to, such as health insurance, retirement plans, and unemployment insurance. Unlike traditional employees, creators do not receive these vital supports, which leaves them particularly vulnerable to financial instability and unforeseen events. By recognizing them as workers, we can start to develop new frameworks that ensure they have access to a basic safety net, reducing their economic precarity.
Second, recognizing creators as workers would open the door to collective bargaining, allowing them to negotiate better terms with platforms. This could involve creating fairer revenue-sharing agreements, establishing clearer content guidelines, and protecting against arbitrary deplatforming or demonetization. As creators are responsible for a wide range of activities—from producing videos and articles to managing social media, marketing, and audience engagement—such recognition would shift the perception of their contributions from being a hobby to being legitimate, valuable labor.
Third, government regulation could help address the power imbalance between creators and platforms, ensuring that creators receive fair treatment in their relationships with these powerful entities. By creating a legal framework that recognizes creators as workers, it would become possible to demand greater transparency and accountability from platforms, making sure that creators are not subjected to arbitrary or politically motivated actions that could harm their livelihoods.
Most importantly, robust worker protections could serve as a significant counterbalance to censorship, demanding greater transparency and fairness from platforms in their content moderation practices. By affirming creators' status as workers, platforms would be required to justify content removal or other punitive measures, ensuring that creators are not unfairly targeted or penalized without due process. This approach would foster a healthier and more democratic digital environment where all voices have an opportunity to be heard.
You may think I’m crazy, but Canada just did it…
The argument for legal protections for creators gained tons of credibility due to recent developments in Canada, where the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act was just enacted earlier this September and will come into force in July 2025. This groundbreaking law represents a significant shift in how digital labor is recognized and regulated, setting a new standard for how platform workers, including digital creators, are treated.
The Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act came out of a growing recognition of the need to protect workers who rely on digital platforms for their livelihood. The legislation was introduced after extensive lobbying from labor organizations, digital rights advocates, and even some creators themselves who faced increasing economic instability and a lack of transparency from platforms. The Canadian Labour Congress, in conjunction with digital advocacy groups like OpenMedia and the Canadian Freelance Union, played pivotal roles in pushing for this legislation, highlighting the precarious nature of platform work and the lack of traditional employment protections.
Initially, the law focused on gig economy workers, such as ride-share drivers and food delivery workers, but it was expanded to include all digital platform workers, including content creators on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. This expansion occurred after public consultations and testimony from creators who shared their struggles with income instability, lack of benefits, and the opaque and often arbitrary nature of content moderation and algorithmic changes. As these voices grew louder, the scope of the law was broadened to address the specific challenges faced by digital creators, recognizing their significant contributions to the digital economy.
The Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act establishes several critical protections for digital workers. It guarantees a minimum wage, which applies to all time spent working on the platform, not just the time actively spent on tasks. The law also mandates clearer terms of service, requiring platforms to disclose how algorithms affect workers' earnings and content visibility. This transparency is especially crucial for creators who depend on these algorithms for their livelihood, as it provides them with a better understanding of how their content is promoted or demoted. Additionally, the law provides a mechanism for digital workers to appeal decisions like demonetization, deplatforming, or content removal, ensuring due process and fair treatment.
By establishing these rights, Canada is setting a precedent that other countries could follow. The law illustrates that protecting digital workers is not just some idealistic aspiration but a practical, actionable reality that came about through a combination of grassroots organizing, public pressure, and legislative action. This success story showcases that meaningful change is possible when diverse stakeholders—including creators, labor unions, digital rights organizations, and the public—collaborate to demand fairness and transparency.
The Canadian law shows that recognizing digital workers' rights is both feasible and necessary as the digital economy continues to grow. It serves as a concrete example of how governments can protect citizens from the exploitative practices that have become commonplace in the platform economy. By demonstrating that creators' rights can be codified into law, Canada offers a model that counters the argument that such protections are too idealistic or unattainable.
By pushing for similar protections in other jurisdictions, we can establish a global standard that holds platforms accountable and ensures fair treatment for all creators. This approach could serve as a model for how to balance free expression with the responsibilities of digital platforms, helping to reduce instances of arbitrary or politically motivated censorship.
Protecting creators from censorship and ensuring transparency on digital platforms would benefit everyone, not just those who create content professionally. As more people engage in some form of content creation, either directly or indirectly, the line between consumer and creator continues to blur. By establishing a norm of protection and transparency, we can perhaps reset an expectation that all digital interactions will be free from undue censorship and manipulation. This shift could promote a healthier, more democratic digital environment where human rights, such as the freedom of expression, are protected for all users.
Toward Resisting Censorship via a Fairer Creator Economy
The creator economy represents a fundamental shift in how value is generated and distributed online. Creators have become essential players in the digital landscape, helping us navigate the overwhelming flood of information and building communities around shared interests and values. However, the current system is deeply flawed, with creators shouldering the risks while platforms reap the rewards.
It's important to recognize that much of the work in the creator economy is a form of "forced entrepreneurship." During the Great Recession, many people turned to online content creation not out of choice, but as a response to limited job opportunities in traditional labor markets. As documented in The Influencer Industry, the creator economy began to boom when traditional job options dwindled, pushing many into non-traditional labor roles. Today, around 35% of the U.S. labor force consists of independent contractors or small business owners—workers outside of conventional employment structures. This shift often reflects economic necessity rather than a voluntary decision to forego the protections and benefits of traditional jobs.
By acknowledging creators as workers, we recognize that many did not choose to give up workplace protections; they were driven to alternative forms of labor by economic circumstances and forces much bigger than any individual. And providing creators with rights and protections is not just about their individual well-being; it's about ensuring that a growing segment of non-traditional workers is not left without a safety net. It means affirming their right to a fair income, safe working conditions, and the ability to speak freely without fear of unjust retaliation.
By enacting some basci protections, we could ensure a digital environment where creators—and the broader public—can thrive, benefiting from a more open, democratic exchange of ideas and information. As the nature of work continues to evolve, protecting creators' rights is essential to both building a fairer economy for all and upholding fundamental human rights, such as freedom of expression and transparency.
Pamela, fantastic read. A refreshing take on content creation, social media platforms and free speech, or the lack thereof. Particularly prescient in these post-COVID times where we are seeing our precious content, words and ideas being squelched by the “invisible” hand of our fearful governments. At last a viable solution to the unfortunate actions of the current administration. Keep the important info flowing!