“Reticent” content shows what a viral trend can mean for creators

You're not the only one. The word “moral” is used to describe pretty much everything on the Internet these days.

It all started earlier this month when TikTok creator Jools Lebron posted a video that would soon take social media by storm. The hairstyle and makeup she wears to work? Very understated. And vanilla perfume to go with it? How mindful.

Video above: Rossen Reports: TikTok made me want to buy it, but does it really work?

In a matter of weeks, LeBron's words have become the latest vocabulary to define the internet this summer. In addition to their own viral content, which continues to describe various everyday, arguably low-key or modest activities with adjectives like “modest,” “mindful,” and “cute,” several big names have also jumped on the trend on social media platforms. Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Penn Badgley have shared their own playful interpretations, and even the White House has used the words to praise the Biden-Harris administration's recent efforts to relieve student debt.

The skyrocketing fame of LeBron's “very mindful, very low-key” influence is also significant for the TikToker herself. LeBron, who identifies as a transgender woman, said in a post last week that she is now able to finance the rest of her transition.

“One day on my break I was playing cashier and making videos. And now I'm flying across the country hosting events,” Lebron said in the video, noting that her experience on the platform has changed her life.

She's not alone. In recent years, a handful of online creators have made a decent income after becoming famous on social media – but it's still incredibly rare and no easy feat.

Here is the opinion of some experts.

How can TikTok fame lead to meaningful revenue streams?

There is no magic formula.

“It's not as difficult to find resources to work full-time as a content creator as it was years ago,” notes Erin Kristyniak, vice president of global partnerships at marketing collaboration company Partnerize. But you still need to create content that meets the moment — and there's a lot to juggle if you want to make money from it.

On TikTok, most users who make money have a combination of multiple side hustles. Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor of communications at Cornell University, explains that those who gain access to TikTok's Creator Marketplace – the platform's space for collaboration between brands and creators – can “explicitly earn a commission from TikTok views,” although it's usually not very well paid.

Other ways to monetize include more direct brand sponsorships, producing merchandise to sell, collecting donations during livestreams, and collecting “tips” or “gifts” through features available to users who reach a certain number of followers. Much of this also boils down to working outside of the platform.

And developers are increasingly working to build their social media presence across multiple platforms – especially in light of a potential ban on ByteDance's app in the US, which is currently the subject of a legal battle. Duffy notes that many are working to build that broader online presence so they “still have a financial lifeline” if one revenue stream disappears.

Is it difficult to maintain it?

It's already difficult to gain a foothold in the macrocosm of the Internet, and while some have both jumped on trends that resonate and found income streams that allow them to quit their nine-to-five jobs, it's still a lot of work to stay on top.

“These viral bursts of fame don't necessarily lead to a stable, long-term career,” Duffy said. “On the surface, it's hyped up as a dream job… But I see that as a very superficial understanding of how this profession works.”

Duffy, who has been researching social media content creation for a decade, says she's heard from creatives who've experienced months where they've made huge amounts of money from various income streams – but then months where they've had nothing. “It's like a gig economy job because there's no stability,” she explains.

“The majority of creatives don’t work full-time,” added Eric Dahan, CEO and founder of influencer marketing agency Mighty Joy.

Burnout is also common. It can take a lot of emotional labor to pull content out of your life, Duffy said, and the pressure to maintain brand relationships or the risk of losing viewers if you take a break can be great. There's also the continued risk of being subjected to hate or online harassment.

Is the landscape changing?

Like everything on the Internet, the developer landscape is constantly evolving.

Demand is also growing. More and more platforms are not only aiming to woo users, but also to bring aspiring creatives to their sites. And this goes hand in hand with an increased focus on marketing goods and brands in these areas.

Companies are doubling down on efforts “to meet consumers where they are,” said Raji Srinivasan, a marketing professor at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. YouTube and other social media platforms like Instagram have also developed offerings to attract this type of content in recent years, but right now it's “TikTok's big day,” she added, citing the platform's continued dominance in the market.

And Dahan advises aspiring creatives hoping to make it big to just start somewhere. As LeBron's success shows, he added: “You never know what's going to happen.”

AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this story from Oakland, California.