The web’s love of’very elegant’ content reveals the potential of virality and what it could have for creators

It’s not just about you. The term “demure” is being used to describe everything on the internet these days.

 

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s not just you. The word “demure” is being used to describe just about everything online these days.

The whole thing began in the middle of this month in the month of April, in the month of March, TikTok creator Jools Lebron shared a clip which would soon become a viral hit on social media. The hairstyle her makeup and hairstyle she’s wearing for work? It’s very classy. It’s paired with vanilla fragrance? How thoughtful.

In a matter of weeks the words of Lebron have been transforming into the latest language that is defining the web during summer. Apart from her own intriguing content, which continues to be used to describe a variety of day-to-day and even small-scale activities using adjectives such as “demure,” “mindful” and “cutesy,” several big celebrities have also joined the trend across various social media platforms. Famous personalities like Jennifer Lopez and Penn Badgley have posted their own humorous takes including some of the White House used the words to promote about the recent Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to ease student debt.

The exploding popularity of Lebron’s “very mindful, very demure” influence is also significant to the TikToker herself. Lebron is a transgender woman who self-identifies as transgender, stated in an Instagram blog post this the week the day she was in a position to finance the remainder part of the transition.

“One day I was working as a cashier and creating videos during my lunch break. Now I’m flying across the states to host events” Lebron revealed in her video stating that her experience with the platform has transformed her life.

There’s no reason to be alone. In recent years there have been a few creators on the internet have made a significant earnings following the rise to popularity on social media However, it’s extremely rare and not an simple task to accomplish.

Here’s what experts have to say.

What can TikTok its fame create meaningful ways to earn money?

There isn’t a single recipe.

The ability to find resources that allow you to work as a full-time creator “is not as rare as it would have been years ago,” observes Erin Kristyniak, VP of global partnerships for the marketing collaboration firm Partnerize. You still need to create content that’s relevant to the current needs — and there’s plenty to manage in order to earn money from.

On TikTok the majority of users making money from a variety of hustles. Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor of communication at Cornell University, explains that users who are admitted to TikTok’s Creator Marketplace which is the platform’s place to collaborate with creators and brands and collaborations “earn a kickback from views from TikTok expressly,” but it’s not a way to pay much.

Other ways to earn money include the possibility of more brand sponsorships directly making merchandise available for sale as well as fundraising through livestreams as well as the collection of “tips” or “gifts” via features accessible to users who have reached the specified threshold. The majority of this involves working without the use of a platform.

Creators are trying to establish the social presence of their brands on different platforms, particularly due to the possible banning of the ByteDance owned application for the U.S., which is currently involved in a legal dispute. Duffy adds that many are working to develop the wider presence on the internet so that they “still have a financial lifeline” in the event that a revenue stream ceases to flow.

Does it become difficult to sustain?

The process of gaining traction on the global scale of the web isn’t easy to say the least. And while some have discovered trends that resonated and found sources of income that permit them to take a break from their nine-to-five but it takes lots of work to maintain it.

“These viral bursts of fame don’t necessarily translate into a stable, long-term career,” Duffy stated. “On one level, this is often marketed as an ideal work … But, for me, this is an extremely superficial understanding of how the job is run.”

Duffy who’s been studying social media content for more than a decade, has been told by creators that they have months when they’re earning enormous sums of cash from different sources of incomeand then months of no income. “It’s akin to a gig economy job, because of the lack of stability,” she said.

“The majority of creators aren’t full-time,” Eric Dahan is the CEO and co-founder of the influencer marketing agency Mighty Joy, added.

Burnout is also a very frequent. It takes many hours of mental effort to eliminate off your personal life of content, Duffy said, and the stress of keeping relations with your brand or the possibility of losing viewers should you break off could be quite a bit. The risk of being exposed to harassment online or a hateful tone are also a constant threat.

Are the landscapes changing?

Like everything else online, the market for creators is always changing.

Demand is also rising. The increasing number of platforms aren’t just trying at attracting users, but also invite aspiring creators to their websites. That’s in conjunction with a greater emphasis on marketing products and brands that are on these platforms.

Businesses are increasing their efforts “to meet consumers where they are,” Raji Srinivasan is a professor of marketing at the U.T. Austin’s McCombs School of Business, said. YouTube as well as others social networks, including Instagram have also rolled out products to draw the kind of content that they have in recent years, however at present the platform is “TikTok’s day in the sun,” she said by pointing out the platform’s continued dominance of the marketplace.

For aspiring creators who want to make it big Dahan’s suggestion is to begin somewhere. Lebron’s popularity shows that Dahan said “You don’t know what’s going to happen.”

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AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this article who is from Oakland, California.