New data has revealed how the creator economy has grown by over 165 million globally in the last two years — an increase of 119%.
In a study published this week, Adobe revealed that creators make up 23% of people globally, meaning nearly one in four individuals are contributing to art and creativity.
Adobe’s research defines a creator as an adult over the age of 18 who either participates in creative activities, such as photography or NFT creation, and posts and promotes their work online. Their goal is to create content every month with the aim of increasing their social media presence.
The study, which Adobe calls the most comprehensive look at the creator economy to date, found that millennials make up 42% of the creators, while Generation Z only equates to 14% of the community. In fact, on average, creators are 40 years old.
The creator community also skews slightly male at 52%. Markets like Brazil and Germany are home to some of the largest creator communities.
Creators are more likely to be involved in at least three media on an average. The visual arts and photography are most common, but they also make up the majority of creators. Over half (54%) of creators participate in photography.
Creative writing is the second most popular medium, with 34% of creators engaging in the medium. Meanwhile, 27% of creators participate in painting and illustration, followed by 25% of creators partaking in filmmaking.
Adobe’s research also highlights the difference between a creator and an influencer. In the study, influencers are defined as a creator with over 5,000 followers on their main social channel, who currently earns money through posting social media content.
While they are certainly more prominent in markets like Brazil, Australia, U.K., and the U.S., influencers actually only make up 14% of all global creators, according to the data.
However Adobe found that influencers, on average, work an additional six hours per week compared to general creators. Furthermore, that work appears to pay off with influencers earning more.
According to Adobe, 5% of influencers earn in the top income brackets, making as much as lawyers who earn around $129k per year and Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) who have an annual average salary of $119,000.
According to the data, 6 out of 10 creators have full-time jobs, with 62% of creators saying their creative work makes up half or more of their monthly income. Comparatively, 72% of influencers manage to earn half or more of their monthly salary through their creative work.
This isn’t the first study that shows how our internet habits have changed. Pew Research Center data shows that Generation Z has the lowest use of social media over recent years.
Image credits: Header photo courtesy of Adobe
