In an online world where algorithms perpetuate an endless hunger for content and self-promotion, this new memo investigates how artists and creatives can participate in the creator economy by monetizing their ideas instead of their personalities.
Featuring interviews with category-defining filmmakers, DJs, designers, artists, journalists and curators in the US and UK, this memo shows how creators become cultural producers, build income streams and navigate today’s hyper-commercialized digital environment; from selling NFTs to creating original shows on TikTok, building membership models to monetising Substack newsletters, creating performative objects to teaching online courses.
Networked Reality provides an alternative take on the dominant narrative of the creator economy. By putting ideas first, and providing an unbiased perspective on the challenges and opportunities of today’s digital economy, the aim of this memo is to equip creatives with the knowledge and inspiration to meaningfully participate in today’s networked culture.
Michael Fitzsimmons, VP Brand and Product Marketing, WeTransfer, says, “The majority of research in the creator economy presents trends from a platform-centric perspective. Networked Reality is a new, creator-focused approach to thought leadership that examines the evolving relationship between art and commerce on the internet. The creators we feature show that it's possible to carve out your own path, stay true to your vision and be successful despite the challenges."
Severin Matusek, Founder & Creative Director of co–matter, says: “It’s easy to despair in today’s hyper-commercialized internet. Do you play by the rules and try to make it? Or critique the system and build alternative infrastructures? With Networked Reality we wanted to show a third way in which creatives find success without making a product out of themselves – eventually showing that putting your ideas out there, no matter the odds, shapes the world we live in.”
By showcasing the many ways creatives deal with money, ideas, identity and audiences online, the memo shows what the future of creativity online might look like. Networked Reality is the second memo to launch as part of the Networked series created by WeTransfer in collaboration with co–matter. The first, Networked Counterculture, launched on WeTransfer’s content arm, WePresent in May 2023.
WeTransfer streamlines the workflow process for millions of creative professionals. Its ecosystem of creative productivity tools makes it easy to collaborate, share and deliver work. WeTransfer has more than 80 million monthly active users in 190 countries. As a certified B Corporation™, WeTransfer has long been a champion of using business as a force for good. Since its founding in 2009, WeTransfer has donated up to 30% of its advertising space to support artists and social causes. Last year, WeTransfer also launched its Supporting Act Foundation to support emerging creative talent through arts education, grants, and an annual prize.
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