Even if you don't know Diana Regan by name, you have likely seen her TikTok videos. The creator specializes in creating satirical "tourism" content about the cities of California. The videos have caught the attention of average viewers and politicians alike.
Regan has over 100,000 followers and 6.2 million likes -- enough to yield plenty of offers from brands. Forced to choose between making a living and making authentic content for her viewers, Regan often chooses her audience.
“They are pushing creators to become salespeople for products instead of authentically sharing their passion with viewers,” Regan told SFGATE “Luckily, I’ve been able to make up for a lot of this due to the unexpected success I’ve seen on Instagram lately, but it has not been easy.”
She makes about $1,400 a month from TikTok and Instagram combined, and works "odd jobs" to generate the rest of the income she needs to survive. That's not a lot of money, especially in California where the creator resides.
While she has been successful with the content she does make, it's not enough to support a living. Not all content creators want to become influencers, believe it or not. Regan seems like she's among the minority who wants to make a living, but also wants to make content her audience actually cares about instead of accepting every brand deal offered to her. (Not that there's anything wrong with that -- everyone has to eat and pay bills somehow.)
Regan's situation highlights a widespread problem for online creators. Money can be an important benefit of content creation, but for many, making content is the part they enjoy. Having to create content they don't enjoy just to make money feels like work, and not the good kind.
But many, especially those without Regan's level of success in the online space, don't have a choice. It's say yes to the brand deal or the bills aren't getting paid on time (if at all).
Of course, saying artists deserve to be paid fairly doesn't typically change the minds of people in charge of making those decisions. So there's that.