The Uprising Of Content Creators And Their Economy - A Perspective Worth A Glance

By now, you’ve probably come across the term content creators on several occasions. After all, they’ve been flourishing in the digital world for quite some time now.

A content creator is a name given to any individual who creates content that’s entertaining, educating and engages well with a defined target audience. People like to put forward their perspectives and interests on things they love so others can witness them too.

On most occasions, it’s done for fun as a hobby or a way to express themselves creatively. But don’t confuse the term with an influencer. As the name goes, this is the term reserved for an individual who influences people to buy a certain good or service and in return, they’re paid for it by various brands online.

You can best see them as personalities on social media that encourage people to follow in their footsteps. They earn a living through this, some in greater ways than others. As you can see, it’s easy to get confused as the two lines are quite similar yet worlds apart.

But our focus is more on content creators today. We’ll be talking more about who they really are and what they do.

For starters, if you’ve posted up images of food, clothes, or a location that you’ve loved and shared it with a public audience with the hopes they’ll be engaging with you on the post, well, congratulations. You might well be on your way to being a creator, as a study by GWI shows 61 percent of creators fall into this category.

But remember, content creation is very diverse and goes well beyond just images and videos. For instance, it can entail podcasts and paintings too, among so many more.

You might be interested in knowing how most of today’s content creators arise from Gen Z or the Millennial group. No major surprises there because the younger age groups are the ones who are more acclimatized with social media and its trends.

Similarly, these creators are also more aware of changes taking place and have spent so much of their time being engaged with other creators too. Most of the content that’s produced arises on apps like Instagram, followed closely by TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter. Among them, it’s TikTok that really reigns supreme in popularity.

As far as the perfect platform for content creation is concerned, well, it does not exist. Yes, the answer depends on what the real needs of a creator are and what their end goals are. Hence, the number of options on offer is limitless.

The majority claim to do it for fun while others feel they need an outlet to let their creativity flow and this happens to be it. Most people are young with mixed-income opportunities.

Remember, there’s a lot of economic uncertainty in today’s time and with the gig economy up and running, it’s a fruitful approach for creators to get some return for their hard work.

But if you ask the experts, the best app for making money through content creation has to be YouTube. In case you’re wondering why, well, the answer is pretty simple. It’s got some low benchmarks that enable the process of monetization to occur easily.

With just 1,000 subscribers, you can easily earn money through ads on the app. And that’s one of the major ways through which people are earning these days. Next in line comes apps from Meta like Facebook and Instagram. It’s true that neither of them is currently offering huge chances for payments, but they really serve as a place to gain partnerships.

Also, there is a huge user base to take advantage of, where links go beyond your loved ones. Did we mention how easy it is to use the features?

The tasks aren’t easy for content creation and it’s a job that comes with great effort and skill. But some do feel the risk is worth it in the long run and that’s why its popularity is increasing by the day.

While some do it part-time, others are engaged in it full-time. But research proves how on average, a creator spends around 2 hours and 45 minutes across their social media in just a day.

At the end of the day, it’s all about inspiring others through your content and engaging with communities about shared likes and dislikes. Sounds fun right? Yes, but not a job that’s simple by any means.

Read next: What Is The Current State Of The Global Creator Economy? This New Study Reveals It All
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

How Many Top Apps Make Use Of Apple Search Ads? The Findings Of This Study May Surprise You

In the past year, Search Ads from tech giant Apple have turned into an increasingly popular venture. You’ll be amazed to learn how so many huge firms have set aside giant budgets that ensure the right spending takes place on the App Store.

And then we had the app tracking transparency from WhatsApp come forward, which really helped a lot.

But how many leading iOS apps actually make use of search ads? Well, a new App Intelligence study by AF used state-of-the-art suite tools to find the answer. And according to that analysis, the results are surprising.

To keep it short and sweet, the answer is a lot! The top 100 biggest earning applications were analyzed in each subject on the App store. They were then ranked according to the number of apps they were running through Search Ads.

And that’s when they found out that 61% of top iOS apps ran Apple’s search ads, wow!

As far as categories are concerned, well, it’s education that people appear to show the greatest investments upon. Nearly 70% of those earning the most revenue were related to this niche. It couldn’t make more sense than this, considering the timing at the moment.

Remember, it’s back-to-school season and such applications are definitely in popular demand.

But closely following that niche comes the world of health and fitness. You’d be amazed at how so many people are willing to get back on track with their health and are turning to apps to do just that.

Other commonly inquired-about categories included the world of business, music, graphics, design, games, and even navigation. But what exactly do these stats mean? Does it actually hint that apps use search ads from Apple if they wish to make money across the App Store? Perhaps you’re wondering such leading apps use the money they generate to spend on getting Search Ads.

Well, the answer is that both these scenarios take place. Some of the applications continue to be in demand thanks to the company’s Search Ads. Meanwhile, so many famous apps continue to use ads so they can compete with other archrivals in the industry.

This is definitely defining the real purpose of such ads. It’s much better when they happen to be located in the search results too.

For a while now, we saw the leading iPhone maker have their leg up against all other ad networks, thanks to these ad placements. They managed to serve their intended audiences perfectly.

And since advertisers actually don’t end up gaining access to many of its features, well, we know the company has plenty of hidden tricks up its sleeve that it fails to show publicly. But we do hope to see them arise in the near future.

The reason for this behavior could be simple. It has to do with the fact that ad placements do not need interactions from users. They’re magical in every sense.

There is even a massive debate circulating whether Apple’s rule of ridding third parties from targeting users was fair or not. So it’s a sticky mess.

Read next: The List For The Most Downloaded And Highest Earning Apps In August 2022 Is Out And Here Are The Results
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

New Study Sheds Light On The Way Consumers Are Dealing With Global Inflation

The problem of rising living costs is one that every consumer in this world can currently relate to. And as inflation sinks in deep into our lives, we’ve been left with no choice but to deal with it.

But how are consumers really tackling this growing economic problem? A new study from GWI sheds light on the very matter.

If you’ve recently looked up inflation through a search engine, you’ve probably come across plenty of insights. This includes a rise in food prices, fuel, and even the costs of tickets for traveling. It’s actually quite depressing.

Things are very different from what we saw months ago whereby today, more than 50% of consumers claim their costs of living have deeply increased.

While financial confidence may not have been shattered too much, so many people claim to be making smarter decisions in terms of spending as a precaution. While food prices have majorly risen, it’s not the topmost concern that users have in terms of limiting spending.

Instead, they’re targeting luxury goods, entertainment options, and even clothing- yes this is where people are willing to compromise.

When inflation struck, a lot of consumers focused on activities taking place outside the home. They started to make cuts in areas that were in their control. For instance, you can’t stop the rise in fuel prices due to the war in Ukraine or the increase in ticket prices due to the pandemic. It’s just not in our hands.

However, you can compromise on spending big at luxe-themed resorts or dining at the finest eateries in town. But wait, if you think such decisions would end up costing big time to industries linked to luxury and entertainment, well, you're mistaken.

As a whole, people are reprioritizing and there’s truly nothing better than that. For instance, people in the US and UK prefer to buy now and pay for later decisions. And while that has the risk of late fee payments, such modes of payment are definitely a convenience.

Next up, we’re seeing trends related to spending fewer amounts of money on luxury-themed items. However, it’s definitely not a signal that shoppers aren’t indulging in them completely. Yes, it has declined significantly but has not been eliminated completely.

There are still people buying jewels, watches, and handbags and since all firms can’t really go down too much on prices, they are adding more value to goods and services. So people are willing to buy cheaper products over not buying anything at all.

Similarly, travel isn’t declining anytime soon. After all, we’ve just witnessed more than two years of the pandemic so that makes sense. Many have made and will make the most of their holidays during the year.

Stats have revealed that although we’re still not up to the same level as the past, we’re slowly but surely getting there. People just aren’t willing to compromise on their vacations but similarly, they’ve been forced to think wisely and make smarter choices.

As the costs of food and other similar utilities continually rise, more and more people are getting price-conscious while in the markets. Discounts are being welcomed with open arms as are visits to the dollar store.

Stats revealed how more people are visiting places where they can attain commodities at discounted prices because there could be nothing better.

And then there is the rising concern of fuel that has left many consumers to rethink their commuting routes. For instance, in Europe, you’ll find people in search of traveling to their workplace through means other than the car. And that’s just so they could save up on fuel.

This has also allowed for a decline in fares for public travel and that’s welcomed with open arms.

So as you can see, the changes due to inflation are plenty.

Read next: What Country Has the Fastest Internet?
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Twitter Published An Infographic, Detailing How Its Userbase Actively Consumes News Media

Twitter has recently published a report, attempting to highlight just how impactful tweets can be to the whole process of sharing news online.

The way that we consume news has rapidly evolved since the 2000s, back when headlines were identified through newspapers and cable TV. The advent of social media changed the landscape of news delivery and took a massive chunk out of the profits and vitality of the conventional routes in the process. To this day, newspapers and cable TV are feeling the effects, and while the latter’s still surviving well enough in this new ecosystem, the former has been condemned to massive lay-offs and transitions to online media. In the current era, I’d imagine that about 90% of consumed news media comes from social media, which is further complicated by clickbait headlines selling fake or misinterpreted information (because who has the time to double check their sources?). I’d even further wager that the same older generations who condemn social media as a whole are actively utilizing it for staying up to date, even if they won’t admit to it.

Now, the likes of TikTok and Instagram are thriving in this environment, but what about Twitter? As I’ve mentioned before in multiple articles, Twitter isn’t exactly the most popular social media platform anymore; not that it ever was, but there’s a notable difference between standing next to Facebook and looming in its shadow. Younger generations respond more to visually engaging content, such as the aforementioned short-form video content generator that is TikTok, and Twitter’s microblogging sensibilities don’t suit them. However, the latter would have you believe that this is not at all the case and that there is an argument to be made for Twitter still being a very influential social media platform.

The infographic that we’re discussing today posits the following idea: Twitter may not be as actively used as other social media platforms, but through sharing screenshots and other forms of citation that aren’t easily tracked, it still maintains healthy online relevance. Honestly, it’s not all that off the mark, since Twitter is still considered to be a major source of online trends. However, the graphic smartly chooses to not comment on userbase numbers, instead highlighting just how important news is as a medium to the platform’s community. 94% of users express interest in current events, 85% consume news through multiple sources, and 83% tweet about it.

Read next: Misinformation Adjacent Ads Could Seriously Compromise Brand Trustworthiness
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Most Instagram Reels Users Don’t Receive Any Engagement At All, Says New Internal Report

For a while now, Instagram spoke about how keen it was on competing with its fellow archrival TikTok. And they planned on doing just that through the introduction of short video content such as Reels.

But a new internal report that has been critiqued by WSJ says Reels isn't standing where the tech giant had envisioned it to be. To put it simply, it’s just lagging far behind all forms of competition.

The document went on to detail how most Reels' users on the app are failing to get any engagement. Seeing the news of the platform falling flat on the ground is generally concerning for Meta and the experts feel it’s got a long way to go if it plans on affecting TikTok’s share of the competitive market.

On average, the document went on to prove how out of 11 million content creators that use the app, only 21% are involved in putting up Reels on a monthly basis. And out of those, there has been zero to no engagement at all.

The report that is titled Creators x Reels State of the Union, also proved how TikTok users as a whole tend to spend 197.8 million hours witnessing content on the app daily. On the other hand, users on Instagram are spending nearly one-tenth of that amount, which is about 17 million hours daily.

But seeing this report published really had Meta in a bad mood. The company’s spokesperson was quick to call the report an outdated feature that not only featured incorrect information but also was designed to paint a fake narrative of what the progress for Reels has turned out to be.

Although Meta did admit that it’s got plenty of work to do still on its Reels, it was happy with the progress so far. They also elaborated how promising results are up for grabs while monetization across the platform is also seeing new growth at a faster pace.

Meta concluded by highlighting how more and more people are connecting, watching, and engaging with Reels than what the firm saw previously.

But the reports say otherwise. It claims that the biggest reason why the Reel content is failing on the platform has to do with how there is so much non-original content. Moreover, stats proved how most videos seen have been posted on other apps and then shared on Instagram too. And that causes a general loss of interest from the users’ point of view. After all, who wants to see repetitive content?

One way that the report says you can find recycled videos is by searching for a watermark that can be spotted immediately. And while the firm does try its best to downrank such repetitive content on the app, they do somehow pass the barriers and make its way forward.

The Meta spokesperson says that recycled videos are also not recommended on the app because so many viewers have told them that they’re not a fan of seeing old Reels. Instead, they would much rather prefer to see new and unique content that’s solely designed for the platform. And it makes sense because it’s just so much more inspiring and even entertaining.

The timing of this report is rather unique. It arises shortly after one of the app’s attempts to display more video content on the platform failed miserably.

A lot of celebs and the majority of users on the app protested against the idea of testing full-screen displays of Instagram. Similarly, they weren’t in favor of Facebook’s algorithm being like TikTok’s.

So as you can see, Instagram has been through a lot in recent times and this report isn’t comforting either.

Read next: Amazon and Instagram Face Off For the Title of Most Popular Ad Environment
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Brazil Crowned For Having The World’s Most Expensive Air Pods Pro 2

It was only recently that we last heard about Turkey overtaking Brazil for having the world’s most expensive iPhone 14 model. But that doesn’t mean the South American nation is falling short or pricing in other aspects.

Unfortunately, it still reigns supreme for having the most expensive Air Pods Pro 2 model and if you’re concerned about the pricing details, well, they can be almost double the cheapest amount present elsewhere.

Hence, you definitely don’t want to make a purchase of the leading Apple accessory from here because experts claim it just isn’t worth it.

Details were shared by Nukeni revealed how Apple varies its prices based on which region the sales are taking place. And that’s when the media outlet spoke about taxes being added to the final product. Additionally, you’ll find a range of different prices across both the US and Canada.

Both of these nations lie in North America but tax rates differ in different places so where you really end up making purchases matters the most. And remember that since the market’s currency rates continually fluctuate, prices alter daily as well.

As far as the top five lowest price destinations to make an Airpod purchase are concerned, well, it’s got to be Hong Kong, Taiwan, and then Malaysia. This is closely followed up by Thailand and the US.

Meanwhile, there are also rankings for the top 5 most expensive regions where a purchase like this must be avoided. This includes Brazil, India, and Hungary. Similarly, you shouldn’t make purchases in Denmark and Poland too.

As you can see, buying Apple products in Brazil isn’t recommended when compared to other nations. Just look at the massive difference between Brazil and India, it’s almost a staggering $160 difference between the two.

So, what’s the hype about these wireless earbuds in the first place? Well, for starters, they’re raging because they entail a new H2 chip that is designed to have the best audio, Bluetooth, and transparency features out there today. Similarly, it features other cool functionalities like volume control via a touch sensor and a better battery.

The new case also has the added improvements of built-in speakers, a unique U1 chip, and a lot more.

At the moment, the exciting product is already up for sale in a number of different regions around the globe. And in some of these countries, sales are ready to begin as early as September 23.

Read next: The List For The Most Downloaded And Highest Earning Apps In August 2022 Is Out And Here Are The Results
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Twitter Rolls Out Revamped Spaces With Podcasts For All Of Its Blue Subscribers

In late August, we heard about Twitter carrying out a revamp of its Twitter Spaces. However, at that time, the feature was only made available to a handful of users.

Now, however, the app is opening the feature up to all of its Blue subscribers that have an iOS device. Moreover, this gives them the chance to get the right feeling of podcasts, Spaces, and even the best audio stations out there. This is all thanks to the app carrying out tests in its Blue Labs.

For those that may not be aware, when the feature first came out, many saw it as an audio platform where users could have the best audio chats with each other on a live basis. This entailed a host and a number of co-hosts.

So many people could participate in the space at the same time and take part in this interesting audio venture. And then in August, he heard more about the platform repurposing the area to house different podcast ambitions.

The firm revamped the Spaces completely to feature podcasts. And then there was a whole new interface featuring customized hubs that had various types of content themes such as entertainment, news, music, sports, and so much more.

After a while, we saw the company include both types of content: Live and Recorded features. And then came a time when it managed to incorporate the classic Spaces platform as well.

What really makes this entire ordeal all the more fascinating is the fact that Twitter makes use of data from its users to see which recommendations should go on display. Similarly, we’ll have so many listeners get the chance to give their feedback with likes and dislikes.

All in all, it’s designed to provide the best audio experience out there. Another interesting feature is when a report from August showcased how 45% of the users listening were those turned into podcasts. And that just gave rise to the idea of how the new project could be more related to hosting podcasts that are extremely interesting, once the app gets bolstered to that extent.

If you happen to be a Blue Subscriber on this app and have an iOS, then no need to waste any more time and start enjoying the new audio Spaces feature.

There are podcasts and some specially curated audio up for grabs that can be availed through the venture on Blue Labs. But Spaces isn’t only where it stops. Users are also going to be given the chance to put up videos that are long in duration and better in quality. Similarly, they get the chance to use NFTs as their display too.

On the other hand, users who subscribe to become Blue members will also be given the chance to avail of articles that are free of advertisements, customized app icons, plenty of bookmarks, and the most popular undo button.

For now, the blue subscription offer is valid for those hailing from the US, Australia, and New Zealand. And while the costs used to be just $3.99, it’s risen to $4.99 a month.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World