Who is listening when we speak online—whether we’re sharing an idea, posting an essay, or uploading a photo or video? The answer mostly depends on algorithms. In computer science, these are called recommender systems. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok use them to shape how we see and share content.
To maintain reach, content creators must follow what the algorithm likes. This often means giving up creativity or personal well-being. This dynamic turns content creation into a full-time hustle, where success is fleeting and the rules are ever-changing.
Even so, to be digital content creators still has extraordinary appeal to the young generation. Data from Morning Consult in 2023 shows that 57% of Gen-Z individuals (born between 1997 and 2012) would pursue being an influencer if given the opportunity. (Briggs, E., 2023) This is all due to influencers who have gained significant popularity on social media for their “authentic” and “engaging” personalities, allowing them to amass considerable social influence and, of course, substantial earnings. (Min, S., 2019)
But is this really the case?
A 2025 report indicates that 72% of content creators earned less than $500 over the previous 12 months, and only 2% of creators earned over $50,000 (Pangarkar, 2025).
No matter how much fame and fortune they gain, it all comes at a price: becoming cogs exploited by platforms and algorithms, which wears out their bodies and minds. The relentless demand to attract audiences, grow subscribers, and maintain engagement take a serious toll on creators’ mental health, intensifying stress and often resulting in burnout.
Elle Mills, a popular creator who became the face of burnout within the community following a public breakdown. “I try to refrain from taking too many breaks because I feel like people are less forgiving,” she says.
Guessing the Algorithm: A New Age of Creative Anxiety
Content creators produce and upload materials to social media platforms. When these platforms implement a revenue-sharing model, creators receive a portion of the advertising revenue generated through their content. Platform owners can exercise algorithmic control that shapes how content is distributed, influences advertising revenue, and ultimately steers the behaviour and decisions of content creators (Hödl & Myrach, 2023). Due to the lack of transparency in the recommendation algorithm and the unstable engagement of the content, all creators face this problem: top creators hope to maintain their popularity; ordinary creators are worried about losing the audience’s attention.
Gaslighting Creators: The Algorithm’s Invisible Hand
Creators often have no idea why certain content is recommended more than others. This uncertainty breeds self-doubt, causing them to question the quality of their work. Platforms provide negative feedback, but the reasons, that is, the logic behind the recommendation algorithm, are ambiguous, which undoubtedly exacerbates psychological pressure. This puts creators into a gaslighting effect, where creators realize that they cannot achieve self-realization on the platform by themselves, and the algorithm is a more powerful and invisible hand that manipulate their destiny and emotions. This can lead creators to anxiety, low self-esteem, and imposter syndrome.
The Chilling Effect — When Fear Silences Creativity
Over time, creators are trapped in a cycle of constantly seeking validation and approval from algorithms. They need to create more content and if one or a few will please the algorithm and that will point them in the “right direction”. However, this constant pursuit often leads to burnout—a similar experience many creators have had.
Follow the Algorithm or Follow the Creator’s Own Heart?
Algorithm across major platforms have profoundly altered the creator ecosystem, creating an atmosphere of anxiety, constant self-monitoring, second-guessing, and constant adjustment (Bishop; Nieborg & Poell, 2018). Content creators are influenced by the algorithmic control of the platform, yet they seek autonomy in creating and uploading their content. This desire for independence often conflicts with the platform’s algorithms, leading to tension between the two forces. (Hödl, T., & Myrach, T., 2023). Creation is no longer pure and will become less and less free. There is an invisible leader—the algorithm and the traffic push mechanism behind it, which guides all creators to produce content. Creators can no longer be pure artists, but have to be echo of platform ideas. As Eric (2025), one podcaster and YouTuber, says, “many creators, including myself, often produce videos designed primarily to perform well algorithmically, rather than content driven by genuine passion.”
In order to please the recommendation algorithm, homogeneous content is produced in batches. Often, after a specific sort of content becomes popular, countless imitations will appear, which more or less involves the copyright and plagiarism issues of digital content, but the laws and platform regulations are lagging behind in this regard. Another negative impact of homogeneous content is that the same idea is repeatedly emphasized, strengthening the echo chamber effect. When it coupled with the precise delivery of algorithms that cater to users’ tastes, users’ vision becomes even narrower. The information people read invisibly shapes their ideas. So when we are in an era of digital content explosion, are our opinions generated by our own critical thinking, or are they stuffed into your mind by algorithms?
Gig Economy Blues: How Creators Face the Same Struggles as Freelancers
The freedom to choose when and where to work does not equate to freedom from economic hardships (Experts Desk, 2024)
The gig economy, born from the digital age, is often shown as a symbol of “freedom.” But under this, it is a new form of exploitation. As one piece of the puzzle in the gig economy, content creators on digital platforms face the same dilemma as everyone else: They deal with unstable traffic and income, and they have no financial security and minimum wage guarantee. The stress from changing earnings makes things worse. Unlike regular jobs, where there are managers, mentors, HR departments , content creators do not have these supports. They typically lack access to mental health benefits or professional guidance. As a result, the absence of structured support systems and the isolating nature of the work can significantly contribute to stress and emotional exhaustion. It gives platforms more control, but creators lack the basic labor protections.
Sodales Solutions (2024) points out that traditional employees can join unions and negotiate collectively for improved wages, benefits, and working conditions. However, because creators are classified as independent contractors or gig workers, they are typically excluded from these rights. This exclusion makes it challenging for them to advocate for fair treatment.
The Creator’s Paradox: Unseen Risks and the Struggle for Fair Protection
Becoming an online content creator means extended screen time, take video creators as an example, from pre-planning, shooting and editing to interacting with the audience and monitoring and analysis. This constant connection can lead to screen addiction and an always-online mentality–the boundaries between life and work, reality and virtuality are blurred. Compulsive social media use results in social media fatigue, which can later result in depression and anxiety (Kumar & Sharma, 2018) , but creators who make a living from this have no choice.
In addition, showing oneself on the Internet, whether it is opinions, feelings, or life, can be very risky. Being watched can cause problems with self-identity. What makes it worse is not knowing if the people watching you are kind or not. Creators’ private information, like location, contact details, and browsing habits, can be leaked on platforms. This makes them open to trolls, stalkers, and other harmful people. It can lead to rumors, harassment or cyberbullying. This has a bigger effect on their mental and physical security. TikTok creator Erick Louis was doxxed and harassed by Nicki Minaj’s fans after posting a video criticizing the rapper, leading to a flood of threatening calls and messages. “My phone starts blowing up with text messages, and I’m getting FaceTime calls back to back to back,” Louis says. “It was a hectic situation to be in. I was nervous and on edge the whole time.”
Louis describes his experience of being doxed on TikTok
Dancing in the Cage: How Creators Reclaim Autonomy from the Algorithm
De-platforming — Establishing Your Own “Content Sovereignty”
The Try Guys is a popular YouTube group known for humorous and experimental content. After gaining a large number of fans on YouTube, the Try Guys established their own production company. In May 2024, the Try Guys launched a boutique subscription streaming service called 2nd Try TV (Wikipedia contributors, n.d.) and moved most of the content creation to an independent platform while still maintaining influence on YouTube. Although the path to de-platforming requires building a fan base first, not suitable for creators at all stages, it also reveals a new possibility for creators. For those who are just starting out, multi-platform upload may be a better idea. This is also a good way to quickly understand the recommendation algorithm tendencies of each platform. Most creators in China share the same work in different ways on major platforms. They do it to reduce the impact of the recommendation algorithms on traffic. This also helps increase the spread of their work.
Collective Action — The Rise of Alliances and Rights Protection Organizations
Creators are organizing movements, events and alliances to demand a healthier online environment, greater transparency and fairer pay. The platform community itself is a place where people with the same experience and feelings can come together. Creators can make full use of it, helping each other, cooperating and asking for changes from the platform. Like the “FairTube” Campaign, Instagram without Filters Campaign, the success of these activities shows that creators are partners of the platform, not just content providers, and the platform will benefit from treating them with due respect and fairness.
The Way Forward
Platform Responsibility
Platforms should provide clearer instructions for algorithm work, so that creators can understand the basis for their content recommendations and develop better creative strategies. Platforms should develop fairer distribution mechanisms to avoid “exposure bias” — that is, stop algorithms from favoring certain types of content and ignoring others. By improving content recommendations, platforms can help creators reach the right audience with fewer limits.
Labor Protection
Policies need to be pushed to provide creators with rights and interests similar to those of formal employees in accordance with labor laws, such as medical insurance, social insurance, etc. Creators’ labor should be recognized and protected, rather than just relying on the benefits provided by the platform. To solve the problem of unstable income, platforms can help creators by offering fixed salaries or income guarantee plans. This can help creators avoid anxiety caused by depending too much on traffic recommendations.
Legally, Australia is grappling with how to classify gig workers, including full-time digital creators (Karp, 2024). Are they independent contractors or should they be considered employees with corresponding rights? This classification has significant implications for worker protection and corporate responsibilities. A Labor-led Senate committee report into the future of work in 2018 recommended the government make legislative changes that ”broaden the definition of employees to capture gig workers and ensure they have full access to protection under Australia’s industrial relations system”. As the gig economy is booming, we need to pay more attention to the labor rights of these workers.
In Conclusion
Digital content creators are typical of the modern labor market – full of vitality, high flexibility but also risky. Whether creators are liberated or exploited by the platform is actually two sides of the same coin. The trend of digitalization is unstoppable. It is inevitable to deal with the pressure brought by the algorithm. How to find a balance between the original intention of creation and catering to algorithms is what every creator needs to explore. We should use technology from a more humanistic perspective rather than rejection and guide it towards a future that will not sacrifice fairness.
References
Alexander, J. (2019, February 11). YouTube product manager addresses concerns over algorithm’s role in creator burnout. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/11/18220379/youtube-creator-burnout-elle-mills-algorithm
Briggs, E. (2023, October 4). Gen Zers still really want to be influencers. Morning Consult. https://pro.morningconsult.com/analysis/gen-z-interest-influencer-marketing
Experts Desk. (2024, January 12). The gig economy: Liberation or exploitation? The Work Times. https://theworktimes.com/the-gig-economy-liberation-or-exploitation/
Fair Work Ombudsman. (n.d.). Employee-like workers. Fair Work Ombudsman. Retrieved April 7, 2025, from https://www.fairwork.gov.au/find-help-for/independent-contractors/regulated-workers/employee-like-workers
Hödl, T., & Myrach, T. (2023). Content creators between platform control and user autonomy: The role of algorithms and revenue sharing. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 65(5), 497–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-023-00808-9
Hödl, T., & Myrach, T. (2023). Content creators between platform control and user autonomy. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 65(5), 497–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-023-00808-9
Jiang, R. K. L. (2023, April 30). UGC recommender algorithm’s gaslighting harm to creators. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ugc-recommender-algorithms-gaslighting-harm-creators-jiang
Karp, P. (2023, December 7). Labor moves to protect gig economy workers. The Australian. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/labor-moves-to-protect-gig-economy-workers/news-story/f02e695124d4ffa727d83ca137419e11
Karp, P. (2024, August 26). Uber clarity: NZ’s bold move on gig economy workers. The Australian. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/uber-clarity-nzs-bold-move-on-gig-economy-workers/news-story/d4aeeae700568fdc5059386eef7ed06e
Kirk, A. (2024, October 30). 50 million and counting: Too many people want to be social media influencers. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/50-million-and-counting-too-many-people-want-to-be-social-media-influencers-20241030-p5kmh9.html
Kumar, A., & Sharma, R. (2018). Analyzing the impact of customer experience on emotions and satisfaction: A case of luxury fashion retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 39, 81–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.07.002
Kumar, S. (2019). The algorithmic dance: YouTube’s Adpocalypse and the gatekeeping of cultural content on digital platforms. Internet Policy Review, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.14763/2019.2.1417
Kushlev, K., Proulx, J. D., & Dunn, E. W. (2017). Online social media fatigue and psychological wellbeing—A study of compulsive media use, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.07.021
Mendez II, M. (2024, February 16). Online users were doxxed by Nicki Minaj fans. Some say they won’t stop speaking out. TIME. https://time.com/6695063/nicki-minaj-barbz-doxxing-targets/
Miller, L. A. (2024, September 18). Instagram has announced it will be removing beauty filters – but the damage is done. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/instagram-has-announced-it-will-be-removing-beauty-filters-but-the-damage-is-done-238582
Mills, E. (2018, May 18). Burnt out at 19 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=WKKwgq9LRgA&t=413s
Min, S. (2019, November 8). 86% of young Americans want to become a social media influencer. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-influencers-86-of-young-americans-want-to-become-one/
Narayanan, A. (2023, March 9). Understanding social media recommendation algorithms. Knight First Amendment Institute. https://knightcolumbia.org/content/understanding-social-media-recommendation-algorithms
Pangarkar, T. (2025, January 14). Digital content creation statistics and facts (2025). Market.us Scoop. https://scoop.market.us/digital-content-creation-statistics/
Sodales Solutions. (2024, August 22). The rise of the gig economy: Navigating the new world of work. Sodales Solutions. https://www.sodalessolutions.com/the-rise-of-the-gig-economy/
The Podcast Haven. (2025, April 2). YouTube creator burnout: How the algorithm impacts mental health and what to do about it. The Podcast Haven. https://thepodcasthaven.com/YouTube-creator-burnout-how-the-algorithm-impacts-mental-health-and-what-to-do-about-it/
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). The Try Guys. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Try_Guys
Be the first to comment