consumer vs creator relationships 09.16.24

the creation of content has become so expansive and thorough that i'd like to evaluate where we are and what i believe the pitfalls are of where we are in the consumer and creator relationship.

but first, some definitions just to make sure. creators are those who make content, no matter the size of their following. some creators do it professionally, but for the purposes of this, everyone who engages with the creation of content is a creator. consumers are those who view or engage with that created content.

with the growth of social media and the exponential increase in the amount of content created by a single individual, the consumer has begun to conflate a perceived full personality of the person that created the content with the person who has made the content.

there is fault on both sides of this for that conflation. the creator should be interacting in the space with the knowledge and understanding that the transparency in which they engage online should be measured, while the consumer should understand that their opinions on the content should be just on the content rather than the person behind the content (an argument to be made on art vs artist, but one piece of art does not dictate an entire artist)

the toxicity of this relationship can be measured across all levels of engagement, but can be particularly envisioned when a creator has a large platform. the consumer creates a parasocial version of the creator inferenced from the creator's content and attributes that to the individual. any feelings they have towards that content are also attributed to the individual.

in my mind, the solution to this is that the consumer needs to understand that their relationship is with the creators content and not the creator themselves. the responsibility does not solely lie on the consumer for this, but the toxic fallout from this relationship is largely (anecdotally) on the consumer end.

over-sexualization, iconography, unfair standards, and many more toxic ideas are pressed upon the creator by the consumer base in many cases. the creator must also acknowledge that engaging in the content marketplace has these risks, but ideally, i would love if the internet could be a safer space to share ideas and content.

there is a large mindset difference and the effects can butterfly if the consumer actualizes one truth: they are a fan of the content the creator makes and not the content creator themselves.

there is an ocean of difference between 'i love you' and 'i love the things you make'.