Patreon's 'State of Create' report reveals that the 'structure that connects creators and fans through social media' is collapsing

Patreon , a funding platform for content creators, has released a report titled ' State of Create ,' which is based on a survey of over 1,000 creators and over 2,000 fans. In response to Patreon's report, analyst Julia Alexander said, 'The creator economy is undergoing a period of fundamental change.'

State Of Create
https://www.stateofcreate.co/

Everything that Built the Creator Economy is Trying to Kill It
https://postingnexus.substack.com/p/everything-that-built-the-creator

Patreon reports that 57% of TikTok users' time is spent watching content from creators they don't follow, and only 24% of users use their follow feed on Instagram, meaning that most users are primarily watching content recommended to them by the platform.

Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, etc. use their own algorithms to display content in your feed. These algorithms determine what content appears in your feed and are designed to maximize engagement, such as view time, shares, and likes.

However, 78% of creators said that social media algorithms have impacted their creative work, and 56% said that algorithms prevent them from pursuing their passions and interests.

To keep users interested, platforms like Instagram and X tend to prioritize pages that are optimized for users using algorithms, and to neglect the core follow function of social media. As a result, content is constantly increasing, making it difficult for creators to connect directly with their followers, Alexander argues.

Alexander says that while many creators have built fanbases through large platforms, true sustainability lies in 'individual creators building direct fan relationships.' In other words, Alexander argues that creators are shifting from large followings to building direct relationships with dedicated core fans.

Alexander then emphasized the need for creators to seek out diversified sources of income and break away from platform dependency, but pointed out the difficulties they face in the process, in particular the structural conflict between 'platform designs that seek to retain users' and 'creators' intentions to move users to external sites.'