Because You Are a Creator, It Does Not Mean You Are Creative. The dangers of confusing content production and creative courage.

Does Being A Creator Equate To Being Creative?

The new era has seen the emergence of countless content creators across various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, all vying for a piece of the fame and fortune pie. The extent to which people are producing videos, podcasts, and other forms of content is unprecedented, and being known as a creator is a compliment.

However, does being a creator equate to being creative? At first glance, the term 'creator' appears closely linked to notions of creativity, innovation, and originality. Yet, as this article will explore, most content produced today is exactly the opposite.

For much of what is produced under the guise of creation is, in reality, formulaic, mechanistic, and deeply repetitive. The vast majority of online content follows predefined templates, viral trends, and engagement-driven tactics, which are often the exact opposite of true creativity. Rather than breaking boundaries, many creators simply copy, paste, and repeat successful formulas. This raises an important question: Are these individuals genuinely creating something new and valuable, or are they simply entertainers adhering to processes aimed at maximizing engagement?

The difference between creation and creativity has never been more significant, and this article will discuss how the digital environment encourages copycat behaviour over creativity. Real creativity requires risk, originality, and meaning—aspects that are becoming scarce in the algorithm-generated content machine. Moreover, when we confuse content production with creativity, we start down a very slippery slope that lands us in a world where we have become repetitive robots.

The Algorithm Effect: Rewarding Engagement Over Originality

Social networks, including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, use sophisticated algorithms to recommend content that will keep users engaged on the platform for longer. These algorithms track factors such as likes, shares, comments, and the time spent viewing a post and use this information to identify and recommend content that will keep the user engaged on the platform. Although this approach helps ensure that users see content they are interested in, it negatively impacts creativity.​ In fact, it actually incentivizes creators to reject creativity and choose conformity.

Incentives to Conform

I would suspect that most creators are on these platforms to make money. Being a creator is seen as a pathway to positive cash flow, but only if you find a way to align your content with the prevailing algorithm. To make money as a creator, you must increase visibility, reach, and secure reactions (like and subscribe). The sure way to do this is to produce content that aligns with prevailing trends and popular formats favoured by the algorithm. When they do this, though, creators no longer follow their own creative instincts but are bowing down to an externally driven source of success. They are no longer individual creatives but just another cog in the social media machine.

Case in point - the rise of low-effort content such as:

1. Reaction Videos: Creators film their immediate responses to existing content, capitalizing on the popularity of the original material without contributing new insights or creativity.​

2. Duets and Remixes: Particularly prevalent on platforms like TikTok, these formats allow users to add to or modify existing content, often resulting in repetitive themes rather than original creations.​

These content types thrive not because of their creative value but because they align with algorithmic preferences for engagement. They are clear examples of where concerns about the algorithm come before the creator's originality and where a thirst for popularity dictates content production. ​

Implications For Creativity

Here's where the divergence between what creators are doing and what creativity is becomes clear. In a world where engagement is the priority, we see:

1. Homogenization of Content: As creators mimic successful formats to appease algorithms, the diversity of content diminishes, leading to a homogenized digital environment.​

2. Suppression of Innovation: Creators may avoid experimenting with novel ideas due to the risk of low engagement. They may be worried about how new formats will be received, resulting in suppression of true creativity, repetition, and stagnation.​

3. Erosion of Authenticity: The pressure to conform can lead creators to produce content misaligned with their authentic voice or vision, compromising the integrity of their work and their individual well-being.​

While algorithms are designed to drive people towards specific entertainment forms and enhance user engagement, they inadvertently create an ecosystem where conformity is rewarded over creativity.

Entertainment vs. Creativity: The Difference Between Holding Attention and Offering Value

A key distinction between being a creator and being creative lies in the intent behind the content. Many online personalities are skilled entertainers rather than true innovators. Their primary goal is to capture attention, not necessarily to create something new or meaningful.

What Defines Entertainment?

Entertainment is about engagement, excitement, and emotional response—not necessarily originality. Some creators excel at understanding what audiences find stimulating, but their content remains derivative rather than inventive. For example:

1. High-energy performances – Many YouTubers and TikTok stars build a brand around their personality rather than their creative contributions.

2. Spectacle over Substance – Fast cuts, exaggerated expressions, and dramatization serve to maintain engagement rather than foster creativity.

3. Repetitive Storytelling—Many viral videos follow predictable emotional arcs, offering an illusion of novelty while adhering to established formulas.

Creativity Requires Meaning and Originality

While entertainers capture attention, true creativity involves:

1. Bringing something new into existence – Developing unique ideas, styles, or perspectives.

2. Offering depth and insight – Going beyond surface-level engagement to create meaningful and thought-provoking content.

3. Challenging conventions – True creativity disrupts norms rather than reinforcing them.

A perfect example of the difference between what a creator does and creativity can be seen when we compare a viral TikTok dance to an original choreographer. A viral TikTok dance is often a remix of existing moves, refined for mass appeal. In contrast, a choreographer who develops a new dance to express her distress at world events engages in true creativity—expanding the boundaries of artistic expression and taking risks in the process.

Creativity Requires Risk: Why Digital Culture Discourages Experimentation

True creativity thrives on risk, failure, and the willingness to experiment—qualities the social media ecosystem actively discourages. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are built on instant gratification and consistent engagement, making creative risk-taking a liability rather than an asset.

The way the algorithms work puts enormous pressure on creators to stay visible and choose consistency over creativity. Social media algorithms reward creators who post frequently, prioritizing quantity over quality. Many creators feel pressured to churn out content quickly rather than take the time to develop something new or experimental. This pressure in itself and the fear mindset that it creates are the antithesis of creativity, which thrives in healthy emotional states.

Unsurprisingly, many digital creators find themselves trapped in a cycle where they must repeatedly produce the same type of content to maintain their audience. This stifles creativity, making it difficult to experiment with new ideas. This pressure leads to hyperactivity in the short term and burnout in the longer term as they try to keep up with trends and remain relevant in such a fast-moving environment.

Failure is also seen to not be an option. Unlike traditional creative industries where a failed project might be a stepping stone to innovation, online algorithms punish low-performing content by reducing visibility. Creators who take risks and miss the mark may see their entire engagement decline and then be pressured to do something dramatic to recover their popularity.

Creators also become invested in virality. Once a content format becomes successful, creators are expected to repeat the formula rather than deviate from it. The result? Endless sequels, follow-ups, and variations of the same viral trend rather than original work. In this way, the viral economy is subverting creativity and encouraging conformity. It is turning creators into productive robots rather than innovative individuals. The winners are the wealthy - the owners of Bytedance, Meta and Google - who are all laughing on the way to buy more Trump coins.

Are We Consuming or Creating? The Illusion of Creativity Online

One of the most overlooked aspects of the digital content boom is that much of what is labelled as "creation" is actually consumption disguised as production. Many online creators are not inventing new ideas but curating, remixing, or slightly modifying existing content.

For example, TikTok and YouTube are filled with reaction videos, duets, mashups, and challenges—all of which rely on existing content rather than true originality. While remix culture has its place, it often blurs the line between curation and creation. And some of the biggest influencers and YouTubers are repeating scripts, using the same editing styles, and even copying each other's thumbnails and video formats because they know these methods drive engagement.

Is it that being a creator is less about creativity and more about mass repetition?

Should We Call Them Content Distributors Instead of Creators?

So many people we see across social media platforms operate less from the spirit of creativity and more like highly skilled content distributors, filtering through trends and delivering them in an appealing package. We must be clear that there is a fundamental difference between posting frequent, engaging and entertaining content and producing meaningful, thought-provoking, or original work. Social media rewards the former and thwarts the latter.

Perhaps then, for the sake of clarity, instead of the term creators, we could start calling them what they actually are, content distributors. Then we can reserve the compliment of being creative for those who truly deserve it, who have the courage to do something new and true to themselves, not just follow along with the algorithm.

Conclusion: Challenging the Definition of Creativity in the Digital Age

The explosion of digital platforms has given us an unprecedented ability to create and share content, which is something to celebrate. We have free access to entertainment, the ability to connect with others, and a global stage where anyone can express themselves. Never before in history has the average person had the power to reach millions with the click of a button. This is fantastic.

But in our excitement, we must be careful. Being a creator does not automatically mean being creative. We cannot afford to confuse output with originality, nor can we allow the word "creator" to be so broadly applied that it loses meaning. To do so is downright dangerous—because when we mistake repetition for creativity, we dilute the power of this precious energy.

Creativity is not just production but discovery, depth, and courage. It requires us to take risks, challenge norms, and push beyond what is already known. When we begin to think that creativity is measured by engagement metrics rather than meaning, we start slipping down a dangerous slope—from courage to conformity. When we see successful creativity as fame, the basis for our future social change becomes flawed. Yes, people need to commercialize their creativity. We all must live and live well. But we must not mix the notion of content production with creativity; the health of our societies depends on it.

If we want to protect and nurture true creativity, we must start rewarding different behaviours and asking different questions. Instead of simply asking, "What will perform well?" we should ask,

"What is worth making?

"What has never been seen before?

"What risks am I willing to take? "

"What is true to me."

"What will honour the difference I want to make in the world."

We are lucky to live in a time when so many people can create and where there is an abundance of excellent entertainment. But perhaps our greatest challenge is ensuring that we do not simply create more because we can—but that we challenge ourselves to create better.