why we should start using the term content creator more in 2026

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“A content creator is different from an influencer–they are two separate things,” former YouTuber Catrific, also known as Cat Valdes in real life, expressed to me over the phone. I spoke with Cat back in April about her experience being an early YouTuber, creating content, and what happened after ‘retiring’ from YouTube. Being a former content creator herself, her distinction between the two terms was significant to me, as over the past year in my research I have observed these two terms often being used synonymously with one another through discourse on social media. This is problematic to me, let me explain why.

Not everyone on social media that creates content and has a large following is an influencer. There needs to be clarity amongst these two terms in order to understand and allow dialogue regarding evolving online presences on social media. Thus, when one generalizes all online social media presences to just an influencer, dialogue is limited and rigid.

To the naked eye content creators and influencers may seem identical, as content creators and influencers share similar practices, like monetization from content and the self, and primarily existing on social media platforms. However, I suggest that these two terms are entirely separate online entities. From my observation having both online and offline conversations regarding this very topic, the term influencer is being treated as a catch-all phrase, in an attempt to label and categorize a wide array of social media identities.

One plausible cause for this might be the outdated language and prior discourse on online identities and self-presentation on social media. Books such as Brooke Erin Duffy’s (Not) Getting Paid to Do what You Love (2017) and Sarah Banet-Weiser’s Authentic ™: The Politics of Ambivalence in a Brand Culture (2012) provide a good baseline for understanding early online social media presences yet generalizes them. Moreover, the term content creator was not commonly used as it is now in 2026. Publications revolving online social media identities need to catch-up to language being used today on social media.

So, what is an influencer?

Influencers on social media today are public-facing online personas with a massive following, most commonly seen on Instagram. They partner up with companies and brands for sponsorships, often becoming an ambassador for a certain product that a company wants to sell. Influencers are used as another source for marketability and audience engagement and reach. In other words, influencers can be understood as individuals that both monetize and mobilize capitalistic ventures and avenues. Most popular influencers tend to be white cis women as well. Moreover, to be an influencer you need to be well-known, as one key component about a being influencer is being deemed recognizable enough to an audience by companies and sponsors to be marketable.

On the other hand, to be a content creator you do not need to be recognizable or even have a large number of followers. Content creators are individuals who produce a wide variety of online engagement to an online audience, via any social media platform like YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, TikTok, etc. It could be creating original content like short films, live streaming, uploading commentary videos, ASMR, etc. Content creators also often monetize this engagement as a source of income, though not always. They are more evolved, refined, and flexible compared to influencers, who are tied down to one single format of which is to be a marketable persona. Additionally, content creators do not necessarily need fame and recognition to be successful, as becoming rich and famous is not the sole purpose for creating content online. Very rarely, if one is lucky enough, fame and recognition is a byproduct from their content. Early content creators can be thought of as YouTubers like Jenna Marbles, PewDiePie, and Ryan Higa. The term content creator is both used as a practice but also a noun, when people identify themselves as a content creator.

The term content creator seems to be a recent phenomenon, however, content creators have always existed as I argue that YouTubers, like Catrific, were one of the first content creators in the age of social media. I like to visualize content creators existing within Richard Florida’s–American urban studies theorist and author–theory of the creative class. In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, Florida identities the creative class main characteristic and function as individuals who are innovators and trailblazers, creating meaningful new forms and expression.

In a 2024 global survey from Florida’s Creative Class Group, he defines ‘creators’ as individuals with over 1,000 followers on their primary social media platform who create and share original content. My issue with Florida’s definition is that it’s too rigid and insufficient. For instance, 1,000 followers is a specific metric that does not necessarily translate to whether or not someone can be deemed a content creator or not, especially if someone tends to have a huge following without creating content online.

Even as I write this, the phenomenon of content creators and content creation is evolving as social media changes, and new language emerges to describe new online entities. I shall end with this–content creators as a subject itself needs to be taken into consideration and taken seriously when it comes media studies, which is what I hope to achieve.

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Sources:

Banet-Weiser, Sarah. Authentic ™: The Politics of Ambivalence in a Brand Culture. 2012

Duffy, Brooke Erin. (Not) Getting Paid to Do what You Love: Gender, Social Media, and Aspirational Work. 2017

Florida, Richard. The Rise of the Creative Class. 2012

Florida, Richard. The Creator Revolution: Results from a Global Survey Creative Class Group.