The creator economy commands trillions of attentions and hundreds of billions in value, yet most creators are still struggling to make a living. Industry leaders take a look at this growing gap that is now forcing a reckoning across platforms, brands, and governments.
Introduction
What began as individuals posting videos, photos, and opinions online has evolved into one of the most powerful forces shaping the global media, marketing, and commerce landscape. Once viewed as a niche driven by influencers and social platforms, the creator economy has matured into a mature economic system, redefining how content is produced, distributed, and monetized worldwide.
In 2024, the global creator economy was valued at $205.25 billion, with projections pointing to a market exceeding $1.3 trillion by 2033, growing at a compound annual rate of more than 23 percent according to Grand View Research. This growth reflects a deeper structural shift: the transfer of cultural influence and consumer attention from institutions to individuals.
At its core, the creator economy enables people to build audiences and monetize them directly through advertising, sponsorships, subscriptions, and digital products. Lower barriers to entry, widespread mobile internet access, and increasingly advanced creation tools have allowed millions to participate. Today, an estimated 280 million people globally identify as creators, though only a small percentage earn sustainable incomes from their work.
From Influence to Industry
For much of the past decade, the creator economy was closely tied to influencer marketing. Brands approached creators primarily as distribution channels to reach younger, digitally native audiences. That model, however, is rapidly evolving.
Today, the creator economy is the media and internet economy. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube generate billions in advertising revenue while shaping culture at unprecedented speed. Yet this dominance is built on an unstable foundation, with creators remaining dependent on opaque algorithms, shifting platform rules, and inconsistent monetization.
Kinda Ibrahim, Regional General Manager of Operations at TikTok Middle East Africa, South and Central Asia, describes a clear shift toward structure and outcomes.
“Creators are no longer seen only as influencers, but as partners who drive discovery, consideration, and action,” she explains. “Globally, we’re seeing a move toward repeatable formats, community building, and diversified revenue streams that allow creators to operate more like small creative businesses.”
Julien Hawari, CEO of Million, echoes this reality.
“The creator economy is no longer a sideshow; it’s one of the fastest-growing parts of the global digital economy,” he says. “There are roughly 280 million people who identify as creators, but only around four percent make more than $100K a year. That gap between attention and real monetization is still enormous.”
Building on this point, Julie Bogaert, Head of Talent Partnerships for Snap Inc. EMEA, tells Communicate:
“The creator economy has moved from experimentation to maturity. Over the past year, we’ve seen creators increasingly operate as businesses, diversifying revenue streams, building direct relationships with their audiences, and focusing less on virality and more on sustainable engagement.”
Despite a market worth over $200 billion, nearly half of creators earn less than $15K annually, highlighting how unevenly value is distributed.
Platforms, Monetization, and a Shifting Funnel
The marketing funnel itself is changing. With AI overviews and zero-click search reducing organic traffic, discovery increasingly happens inside social platforms and through creators. Social media has become the primary engine of demand generation, while websites and traditional funnels play a later-stage role.
At the same time, creators are moving away from platform payouts and one-off brand deals toward deeper, direct-to-fan revenue models. Long-form videos, subscriptions, paid communities, courses, and live content are emerging as higher-value formats where audiences stay longer and spend more.
Bogaert highlights the importance of these deeper connections:
“Snapchat plays a distinct role in the creator economy because it’s built around real relationships, not public performance. This creates opportunities for creators to build trust, loyalty, and sustainable businesses with audiences they genuinely know, which is increasingly where value sits.”
Echoing this focus on community-driven monetization, Ibrahim notes:
“Monetization today is increasingly tied to community depth rather than one-off virality.”
Ibrahim adds:
“We’re seeing creators combine brand partnerships with LIVE gifting, affiliate-style commerce, and platform monetization tools. Formats like TikTok LIVE allow creators to build trust at scale and unlock more sustainable earning opportunities.”
Creator expectations are evolving alongside these shifts. Hawari explains:
“They want predictable monetization, control of their audience and data, and freedom to grow across multiple channels rather than being trapped in one algorithm.”
This has led to a clear split in the ecosystem. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube continue to dominate reach, while premium content, education, and commerce increasingly sit behind paywalls, memberships, and owned environments.
Who Are the Key Players Now?
The creator economy is powered by an interconnected set of players: creators, platforms, brands, agencies, technology providers, and increasingly, governments.
Brand investment is rising sharply. According to CreatorIQ, 74 percent of organizations increased their creator marketing spend year-on-year, with budgets shifting toward long-term partnerships and performance-based models. While Instagram remains central, TikTok and YouTube are gaining ground as brands diversify platform strategies.
“Spending is becoming more intentional,” Ibrahim explains.
“Brands and agencies are investing where creativity genuinely connects communities, feels authentic and measurable, rather than treating creator marketing as a standalone line item. The strongest results come when creators are treated as long-term partners and campaigns are built for the platform, prioritizing relevance over reach alone.”
Follower counts are no longer the primary metric. Product quality, audience trust, and content scalability now matter more than vanity metrics.
Ola Zaidan, Senior Manager of Media and Influencer Relations at Weber Shandwick MENAT, notes that creators are navigating constant algorithm changes alongside growing performance pressure. Many are diversifying channels and becoming more selective about brand partnerships.
According to Weber Shandwick’s InfluAnswer Arabia report, brand reputation has entered the top three factors influencing creator partnerships for the first time, surpassing monetary value.
The Evolving Role of Agencies
As creators gain influence, the role of creative agencies has shifted from control to orchestration. Agencies are no longer the sole authors of brand narratives; they are architects of complex content ecosystems.
“Creators are no longer distribution channels but creative collaborators,” says Tony Kayouka, Head of Social and Content at TBWA\RAAD. “Agencies are becoming strategic conductors, aligning creators, influencers, UGC, and moment-driven content into cohesive brand stories. What may seem like dilution is evolution.”
Zaidan describes agencies as matchmakers, connecting creators with brands through strategic storytelling, data-led insights, and integrated campaigns that support long-term credibility.
Growth Meets Governance in MENA
While global trends shape the creator economy, the MENA region is charting a distinct path. The region’s creator and influencer market was valued at around $576 million in 2024, with projections nearing $900 million by 2029, still well below its potential, according to Influencer Marketing Hub’s MENA influencer marketing report.
What sets MENA apart is government involvement. The UAE’s $40.8 million creator fund signals recognition of content creation as economic infrastructure, while licensing frameworks and regulatory clarity are accelerating professionalization.
At the same time, AI-driven content and virtual influencers are reshaping brand deals, making performance the deciding factor. Creators who succeed will be those who professionalize quickly and treat their work as a business.
Ibrahim highlights a significant room for growth. “The region has a young, hi-ghly creative population, and we’re seeing strong momentum from governments investing in the digital and creative economies. As brands, creators, and platforms work together, budgets are shifting toward long-term creator partnerships that help local voices turn creativity into real careers and sustainable businesses, rather than short-term campaign activations”.
Bogaert provides a concrete example of regional programs and reinforces the MENA-specific angle of government and platform-led ecosystem growth.
She said: “Initiatives like Majlis Snap for Creators in Saudi Arabia support the growing creator ecosystem through education, collaboration, and community, creating space for creators to learn, connect, and evolve in a way that’s culturally grounded.”
Zaidan adds that the region is adopting global best practices around data-led selection and measurable ROI, while values-driven content consistently outperforms generic promotion.
Road to 2026.
Today’s creators are being encouraged to diversify platforms, build intellectual property, and develop owned communities that reduce reliance on algorithms and platform volatility.
Looking ahead, several trends are becoming clear. As Hawari notes, the long-anticipated “creator middle class” is finally emerging, hundreds of thousands of creators globally are earning sustainable incomes by treating content creation as a business and diversifying revenue streams.
Education will be a defining factor
“The creators who succeed will be those with strong digital and data literacy,” Ibrahim says. “The gap between a hobbyist and a sustainable creator business is increasingly defined by how well creators use insights to grow with intention.”
As Kayouka puts it: “By 2026, creators won’t just make content. They’ll operate media enterprises.” Short-form video will continue to dominate, enhanced by commerce, interactivity, and modular formats, while partnerships replace one-off transactions.
In 2026, success will be defined less by reach and more by relevance, repeatability, and resonance.
