Decoder with Nilay Patel · Monday, September 14, 2026
Comedian Adam Conover argues that the term 'creator' was coined by social media platforms to lure individuals into an unfair economic system. He believes it obscures the reality of media labor, likening it to pyramid schemes where platforms promise riches but offer little in return.
“But I feel the word creator was created by social media companies as a way of tricking people into entering into an extremely inequitable economic bargain, where basically they promise, oh, hey, you know, Mr. Beast makes a billion dollars. You could be Mr. Beast.”
“Why don't you work for us for basically free for the rest of your life in the hopes of one day we'll break off a little chunk of ad revenue for you.”
“We used to be writers, performers, talent, uh, uh, Hollywood labor and media labor, right?”