In U.S. creator economy boom, big tech battles for online talent


Katie Feeney, an 18-year-old social media personality, poses with her phone at a shopping center where she films many of her videos, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S., May 25, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott

(Reuters) - Katie Feeney, an 18-year-old from Olney, Maryland, was in her calculus class on Zoom in November when she learned that a week of posting skits and unboxing videos on Snapchat earned her $229,000. Her $1.4 million in total earnings over the past seven months will be enough to pay for her college tuition at Penn State to study business.

Portland-based personal trainer Julian Shaw dug himself out of $18,000 in credit card debt during the pandemic by selling fitness education videos "with a bit of sex appeal," on OnlyFans, a content subscription site favored by sex workers paid directly by followers for posts.

The Star Christmas Special Promo: Save 35% OFF Yearly. T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.02/month

Billed as RM 96.20 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Tech News

Spotify says piracy activists hacked its music catalogue
Italy watchdog orders Meta to halt WhatsApp terms barring rival AI chatbots
Podcast industry under siege as AI bots flood airways
Do online comments sections reflect public opinion? Study casts doubt
AI resurrections of dead celebrities amuse and rankle
US adds new models of China’s DJI and all other foreign-made drones to its blacklist
US denies visas to EU ex-commissioner, four others over tech rules
Online daters are getting serious about vetting their matches
Waymo to update software after San Francisco power outage snarls self-driving vehicles
Apple to allow third-party app stores in Brazil to settle iOS case with regulator

Others Also Read