How 2021 has redefined what it means to be a creator
Tags: Web3, Original, Community Engagement, Nft, Creator Economy

Creators really upped their game in 2021. Over the course of the year, we saw people experimenting with new digital media, discovering original ways of connecting with audiences, and incorporating new forms of technology like tokens into their fan ecosystems.

This dedication and innovation from creators has resulted in huge industry growth. Now valued at over US$100 billion, the Creator Economy has gone from strength to strength as the worlds of e-commerce, social media, and online communities combine in exciting new ways.

At Unite.io, we wanted to take the time to reflect on all the hard work that’s taken place throughout the past year, which has laid the groundwork for seismic shifts in the Creator Economy in 2022.

Here are some of the biggest trends to rock the creator landscape that we were most excited by and what they mean for the future:

An ever-growing audience

More and more people are coming online to connect and build relationships. Why? On the one hand, the ongoing pandemic has prompted a drastic shift in behaviors as people spend more time online — in the past year, the Internet has played a critical role in how we shop, spend, play, and communicate. Built on the backs of social media giants and a plethora of e-commerce platforms, the sites where people can gather, form friendships, and entertain themselves, have proven to be essential throughout 2021. On the other hand, we’re also seeing new audiences from emerging markets logging on in record numbers — in some cases, even for the first time — thanks to increasing internet penetration.

In combination, these two factors have resulted in the most diverse and global audience ever. Over 60% of the word’s social media users are now based in Asia, in comparison to 22% in North America and Europe. These users are on the hunt for relatable and engaging creators who share their interests and experiences.

A more diverse ecosystem

In response to this growing audience, an explosion of new influencers has emerged across the world to turbo-charge the creator scene. According to AnyMind research, the number of macro-influencers (100,000 to 1 million followers) across the region grew by 66% over 2021, largely driven by emerging creators in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.

We’re seeing small-scale, hyper-relevant creators finding success with niche groups and cultivating highly engaged audiences. Creators are expanding beyond traditional channels and formats to diversify their approach. From traditional brick-and-mortar business owners turned successful e-commerce livestreamers to the average teenage girl who’s transformed her love of make-up into an early career move, any passion can be turned into a creative outlet provided the creator can connect effectively with their audience.

Simultaneously, opportunities in the metaverse are also introducing the next generation of influencer talent. Computer-generated and perpetually ageless, virtual influencers are on the rise in Asia’s creator economy. In Thailand, Ai-Ailynn made her debut as part of a cohort of “Made in Thailand” virtual influencers born during the pandemic, amid ongoing frustrations due to restrictions in the country. The trend is likely to proliferate in the continent, due to the unique idol and fandom concepts that are so entrenched in many of Asia’s cultures.

New forms of monetisations

Up until now, creators have been tied to their platforms. Whether it’s Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or OnlyFans, creators are used to platforms taking a cut of their subscription or advertising earnings. But things are finally changing. Thanks to decentralized tech such as NFTs and social tokens, creators in 2021 started to experiment with new ways of monetising their talent and building sustainable digital careers.

Blockchain-powered fan tokens, much like our social tokens at Unite.io, are allowing creators to develop more meaningful relationships with their communities. In this way, fans can directly compensate creators for work that they like, powering a mini economy that effectively cuts out the middleman — the social media platforms — from the creator equation.

Everyone is experimenting with these new digital assets — even megastars BTS who entered the world of NFTs to mint audio-visual digital collectibles that their fans can trade. The opportunities, of course, are not only limited to larger, established players. Creators of all sizes are looking at ways that they can leverage digital assets to build their own economies. At Unite.io, we’ve been working with a collection of creators in Asia who are building their own digital economies through blockchain-powered currencies.

Ultimate ownership

Today’s social media platforms are fuelled by user-generated content, yet creators have very little control and ownership over the content they create or the communities they nurture. In this new age of decentralization, creators finally have the power to truly own what they create and the fanbases they build.

And thanks to new technology, creators’ digital assets are not tied to one centralized platform, but live in the decentralized space of web3. As well as having control over content production and dissemination, creators can also benefit from royalties within the digital world. Smart contracts embedded into NFTs allow creators to build in payment mechanisms each time the asset changes hands.

What’s more, creators don’t have to worry about losing their following if they leave a platform — in decentralized spaces creators can build direct relationships with their fans without the reliance on social media ecosystems.

The metaverse vision

This year we also got excited about the potential of the metaverse, the virtual real-time world of the future. Facebook’s rebrand to Meta in October highlighted just how important this development is going to be for all of us who will soon be spending a lot of time there.

Remember the shift from desktop to mobile? The move to the metaverse is going to be just as big and potentially even more revolutionary.

Why? Because the metaverse is a highly immersive space — and creators will no doubt be the first to capitalize on these new opportunities. From events like virtual concerts and community meet ups, to collectables like interactive NFTs or digital merch, the metaverse will be the ecosystem that houses all of the digital content and assets produced by the next generation of the Creator Economy. Creators that set their sites on building for the metaverse will find themselves ahead of the game in 2022.

In 2021, creators pushed the boundaries of the Creator Economy, showcasing their incredible adaptability and ability to innovate with new technology. At Unite.io, we’re working directly with creators, helping them use decentralized tech like social tokens to supercharge their brands. From co-creating fan experiences with social tokens, to NFT drops and collectibles, we want to enable creators to test the waters of a decentralized creator economy while maintaining their existing communities. We’re excited about what the future holds and we help transform today’s creators into tomorrow’s icons.