NEW YORK — You’re not alone: The word “meh” is used to describe just about everything online these days.
It all started earlier this month when TikTok creator Jules Lebron posted a video that quickly became a social media sensation. Her hair and makeup look while she goes to work? Very subtle. And paired with the scent of vanilla perfume? That’s a touch of attention to detail.
In just a few weeks, LeBron’s word has become the latest iconic internet vocabulary of the summer. Her own viral content continues to use adjectives like “low-key,” “thoughtful,” and “adorable” to describe a variety of everyday, low-key activities, plus a few other big names have jumped on the trend on social media platforms. Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Penn Badgley have shared their own playful interpretations, and even the White House used the word to brag about the Biden-Harris administration’s recent student loan relief efforts.
LeBron’s “very thoughtful, very modest” rise to influence also has significant implications for the TikTok user herself, who said in a post last week that she is now able to cover the remaining costs of her gender transition.
“One day I was working a cashier and filming videos on my break, and now I’m traveling all over the country hosting events,” LeBron said in the video, saying her experience on the platform has changed her life.
She’s not alone. In recent years, there have been a few online creators who have achieved social media fame and made a significant income, but it’s still very rare and by no means easy.
Some experts say:
How can fame on TikTok translate into a meaningful income stream?
There is no single recipe.
Finding the resources to work as a full-time creator is “not as uncommon as it was a few years ago,” said Erin Krystyniak, vice president of global partnerships at marketing collaboration company Partnerize, but it still requires creating relevant content, and often requires juggling if you want to monetize it.
Most TikTok users who make money on the app work a combination of jobs. Those who are accepted into TikTok’s creator marketplace, a platform for brands and creators to collaborate, “can earn rewards directly from views on TikTok,” says Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor at Cornell University’s School of Communication. However, those rewards are typically not very high.
Other avenues of monetization include more direct brand sponsorships, creating merchandise for sale, fundraising during live streams, and collecting “tips” or “gifts” through features available to users who reach a certain number of followers. Much of this comes down to work outside the platform.
Creators are also increasingly working to grow their social media presence across multiple platforms, especially amid the current legal battle that could see ByteDance-owned apps banned in the U.S. Duffy added that many creators are working to broaden their online presence to ensure they “still have a financial lifeline” if their revenue streams disappear.
Is it hard to maintain?
Gaining traction in the macrocosm of the internet is a challenge in itself, and while some have jumped on a trend that resonates with them and found a source of reward that allows them to quit their nine-to-five jobs, it still takes a lot of effort to sustain it.
“These bursts of online fame don’t necessarily translate into stable, long-term careers,” Duffy says. “On the surface, they’re widely touted as dream jobs… but I see this as a very superficial understanding of how careers work.”
Duffy, who has studied social media content creation for a decade, said she has heard stories of creators who make huge amounts of money from various income streams some months and then nothing other than that. “It’s similar to gig economy work because of the lack of stability,” she explained.
“The vast majority of creators are not full-time,” added Eric Dahan, CEO and founder of influencer marketing agency Mighty Joy.
Burnout is also all too common. Duffy said it takes a lot of emotional labor to pull content from your own life, along with the pressure to maintain relationships with brands and the possibility of losing your audience if you take a break. There’s also the ever-present risk of being exposed to hate and online harassment.
Is the landscape changing?
Like everything online, the environment for creators is constantly evolving.
Demand is also growing: More platforms are attracting not only users but especially aspiring creators to their sites, and that coincides with an increased focus on marketing products and brands in these spaces.
Companies are working to “meet consumers where they are,” said Raj Srinivasan, a marketing professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. Social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram have also built out their services in recent years to attract this kind of content, but for now, “it’s a good time for TikTok,” he added, noting that the platform still dominates the market.
And for aspiring creators hoping to make it big, Dahan advises them to just start somewhere — as LeBron’s success shows, “you never know what’s going to happen,” he added.
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AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this report from Oakland, California.