A 2019 poll found that children would rather be YouTubers than astronauts. It made headlines and led to plenty of grumbling about “kids these days”. But it’s not surprising that young people – up to 1.3 million in the UK – want to make their income by creating social media content.
The global influencer market was estimated to be worth $13.8 billion (£11.2 billion) in 2021. Individual influencers such as Zoella and Deliciously Ella are worth around £4.7 million and £2.5 million, respectively. Some 300,000 people aged 18-26 are already using content creation as their sole income source.
