The social media news landscape is changing: followers are no longer the creator's currency

In 2025, leaders in the creator economy reiterated an increasingly obvious truth on social media: the number of followers is no longer decisive. As algorithms dominate the feeds of major platforms, simply posting content no longer guarantees visibility to supporters. “Algorithms have now completely taken control,” said Amber Venz Box, CEO of LTK, in an interview. This shift marks a profound transition in how creators develop their growth strategies and maintain relationships with their audiences—a news that has resonated throughout the social media industry.

Research commissioned by LTK from Northwestern University revealed a surprising fact: trust in creators has increased by 21% year over year. This result seems counterintuitive in an era of misinformation, yet it shows that consumers are increasingly turning to authentic figures amid the chaos generated by artificial intelligence. “AI has pushed people to transfer their trust to real humans with real-life experiences,” explained Box. At the same time, 97% of chief marketing officers plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets in the coming months, confirming that the direct relationship between creators and audiences remains the most valuable resource in today’s social media landscape.

Distribution Strategies: When Teenagers Become Strategic

To counteract fragmentation caused by algorithms, many creators are adopting a tactic that until recently would have seemed counterintuitive: paying teams of teenagers on Discord to create clips from their content. This practice, one of the most significant news in the evolution of creative strategies, is already used by top creators—including Drake and Kai Cenat, one of Twitch’s leading streamers—and by producers like MrBeast.

“Clipping has become essential because you need to flood the environment with content,” explains Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios. “It’s a way to get noticed when you can’t fully control how algorithms distribute your material.”

According to Eric Wei, co-founder of Karat Financial, this model works because it allows creators to reach massive views through seemingly anonymous accounts. “Clippers don’t need a story on the platform,” Wei emphasizes. “The algorithm doesn’t know—and doesn’t care—who created the video. It only cares if the content attracts attention.” Glenn Ginsburg, president of QYOU Media, describes the phenomenon as “an evolution of meme accounts”—a real competition to see who can spread original content more widely.

However, Reed Duchscher, CEO of Night and manager of Kai Cenat, warns that this strategy has real limitations. “Clipping is hard to scale because there are only so many clips available,” he states. “If we want to allocate large media budgets to this tactic, there are significant complications to resolve.”

Fragmentation Toward Niche Communities

One of the most notable industry news is the gradual abandonment of major social media platforms in favor of smaller, more controlled communities. According to data from LTK, 94% of users say social media is no longer truly “social”—and more than half are shifting their time toward niche communities like Strava, LinkedIn, and Substack, where they can engage with authentic content.

This trend suggests that while algorithms are highly sophisticated in delivering personalized content, they have created an unintended problem: the “desocialization” of social media. Duchscher predicts that successful creators will increasingly be those able to build specific niches rather than chase mass appeal. “Macro creators like MrBeast, PewDiePie, and Charli D’Amelio are becoming even harder to emulate,” he notes. Creators like Alix Earle and the Outdoor Boys, who maintain millions of followers in well-defined niches, represent the new model of success.

The phenomenon of “slop”—Merriam-Webster’s word of the year—further emphasizes this fragmentation. With so much digital trash flooding algorithmic feeds, users are increasingly seeking curated, verified spaces where content is managed and trustworthy.

Beyond Entertainment: The Creator Economy Permeates Everything

Although the creator economy is often associated with entertainment, this perspective is too narrow. Atkins suggests that the phenomenon will influence every sector, from science to gardening. An illuminating example is Epic Gardening: originally a YouTube channel, the brand has built such a substantial presence in horticulture that it now owns the third-largest seed company in the U.S. “Today, the founder of Epic Gardening is among the leading owners of seed companies in the United States,” Atkins highlights, “all thanks to his role as a content creator.”

This expansion demonstrates that social media dynamics, combined with the growing importance of trust and the weakening of followers as the main metric, are transforming not only how we communicate but also how entire business ecosystems are built. Modern creators are no longer just entertaining—they are actively reshaping entire industries, proving that the creator economy is a news story that extends far beyond entertainment and visibility.