How The Pandemic Changed Your Content Creation Ways

Before those dark times of 2020 through 2022, we content creators frolicked in the vast, green meadows of content. There was nary a problem in sight on the horizon. Creators grazed upon the fresh influence of content. This all came to an end as the great evil of restrictions and a growing stench of entitlement overtook many creators. It was during these dark times that many changes came about, not for the betterment of many.

We couldn’t foresee the effects that the pandemic closures would entail when we were first diving into it at the beginning. Already there were changes coming with how many large social networks and companies were dealing with user data retention. There was the Cambridge Analytica fiasco from Facebook (now Meta) Users were becoming more aware in how their data was being used in order to direct information and/or ads in their direction. Misinformation was rampant during the first part of the lockdowns and everything, We saw how many creators and the general public fell for many misdirections. 

As creators, we had to change most, if not all of our processes in gathering information and presenting it to our viewers. As a good steward of information, we already were following some standards in order to gain and retain the trust of the community. There was more work now in digging through the increasing amount of fluff. We had to spend more time verifying the relevance of the information which caused us to extend our content release schedules. Or I should say many but not all of us creators. 

This also slides into the actual content that we would produce, as competition exploded during the lockdowns. Many were deciding to try out the content creation game or get into live streaming. The growth of YouTube channels that dealt with teaching aspects of content creation and live streaming went up by a large margin. The shift in working within this trend was a smart move by many. The potential audience was there and as many looked to understand the minutia of being on Twitch or YouTube, those channels enjoyed the increase. 

In the following years, we saw that those pandemic streamers and creators were trying new methods of creating content. Struggling with finding webcams, computer hardware, or even microphones was still prevalent. The rise in using phones as our content creation machines began. We already had the capability to do so but, the teaching of upcoming creators to use whatever you had was on the rise. 

Advertising saw an uptick during this time as the number of watchers was not going out anywhere. They were offering incentives to creators and buying ad spots on many platforms. The potential of making money was probably the highest it has been ever. Currently we’re seeing a massive drawback as it's been some time since the lockdowns have ended. Creators are seeing lower ad revenue from many of their videos. Twitch had been offering several streamers a large number of incentives for running ads on their channels. That program went through several changes in which the amount that was in the thousands, is now much, much lower. The easy path of making money during the pandemic by making lower-tier content was over. Complainers were loud in proclaiming they were being shafted as the creator world was changing and they were unable, or unwilling, to change with the times.

As we continue to move further away from the lockdowns and life going into a somewhat normalcy. We are having to make changes to how we generate our content and even where we upload it to. The general atmosphere of creators and live streamers has changed drastically. We’re looking for places to expand our reach as some platforms are imploding and others are popping into the marketplace, the shift of content creators is ever-changing. It’s up to us as creators to never be complacent in where we’re uploading our content. We have to be agile in our thinking and how we’re using the platforms and services in a way that benefits us the most.