Evolution of the Internet and Its Impact on Creators
May 16, 2024
Evolution of the Internet and Its Impact on Creators 🌐
Introduction
Speaker is excited to address a mixed audience of creators, music industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts.
Focus of the lecture is on the evolution of the internet over the past decades and Patreon’s role in it.
Early Career and Web 1.0
2007: Began uploading music and videos after college.
Experience: Created a record 'Nightmares and Daydreams' using handmade elements and traditional tools like Photoshop (pre-magnetic lasso tool).
Challenges: Limited avenues for sharing creative work; resorted to reaching out to bands and venues via MySpace and performing at empty bars.
Transition to Web 2.0
Web 1.0: Described as a static web with read-only capabilities.
Web 2.0: Emergence of platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter enabling user-generated content.
Impact: Key shift - creators could now upload, share, and interact, marking a significant change for artists.
Rise of Social Media and Building an Online Following
2007-2009: Introduction to YouTube; uploaded 43 videos.
Subscribe Button: Highlighted its revolutionary role in creating a following and ensuring a direct channel for distributing future work.
Case Study - Pomplamoose: Created with girlfriend Natalie, quickly gained subscribers, and successfully engaged directly with fans (e.g., selling personalized thumb drives, creating fan-generated album artwork).
Kevin Kelly's 'A Thousand True Fans'
Premise: Creators need only 1,000 true fans spending $100 a year to make a sustainable living.
Importance: Highlighted the shift from just reaching people to building a devoted fan base.
Shift to Web 3.0 - The Era of Ranking
2010s: Facebook introduced ranking to enhance user engagement, leading to other platforms adopting similar algorithms.
Impact on Creators: New challenges in reaching followers due to algorithmic curation, prompting creators to tailor content to fit algorithmic preferences rather than personal creative goals.
TikTok and For You Page
Model: TikTok’s feed is not based on subscriptions but on algorithmic suggestions, influencing other platforms to follow suit.
Consequence: Dilution of the follower concept, making it harder for creators to maintain direct relationships with fans.
Current Challenges and Potential Solutions
Challenges: Decline in organic reach, difficulty in sustaining engagement, and reduced creative freedom due to algorithms.
Emergence of New Platforms: Discord, Kajabi, Fourth Wall, Gumroad, emphasizing deeper, direct connections with fans over broad reach.
Patreon’s Role and Vision
Company Evolution: From membership platform to encompassing media, community, and business tools.
Goals: Strengthen direct relationships between creators and their true fans through various new features (e.g., community building, ticketed live experiences).
Strategy: Focus on creating sustainable, meaningful communities rather than just chasing views and watch time.
Advice for Creators
Invest in True Fans: Focus on depth of connection over new views and followers.
Create Beautiful Things: Prioritize making content you are passionate about rather than what appeases algorithms.
Know What You Want: Clearly define personal goals and stay true to them, resisting external metrics like watch time as sole indicators of success.
Conclusion
Emphasized the importance of staying true to one's creative vision and maintaining genuine connections with fans.
Encouraged creators to focus on meaningful, impactful content and not to forget the core reasons for their creativity.