Unveiling the Pay Disparity Between Black and White Content Creators

By: Aaliyah Michael, Seasonal Public Relations Intern | Digital4Good

Content creators such as Alix Earle, Addison Rae, and Charli D’amelio receive higher pay and online engagement alongside more business opportunities. These opportunities can range from being flown to cities for social events to being brought on talk shows.

Meanwhile, there are creators receiving less engagement and fewer opportunities. 

These creators tend to be minorities making similar content. The issue here lies in both groups creating similar content yet receiving less attention and compensation. This can be defined as a ‘pay disparity’. 

Disparity can be defined as unfair treatment but in this case, it is more complex. “Disparity affects a lot of people. It afflicts women in some societies, children in some countries, LGBTQ+, and minorities in other communities.” - Disparity Definition: A Problem in our Society by Susanne Ricee

The Life of a Content Creator

The Role of Engagement in Content Creation Success

Content creators typically connect various groups of people with similar interests and values. 

On the other hand, influencers prioritize partnerships and what consumers are buying more than sharing interests and values.  Being aware of the difference is important.  

Engagement is a key factor in a content creator's success. Users have power in determining how well an account does through:

1. The amount of times a video is viewed
2. How many likes, comments, and shares a post gets
3. If viewers find the content entertaining or informative

Elad Schulman states,“A higher engagement rate means a higher enjoyment rate. Also, brands will use your engagement rate when deciding if to partner with you, and they may also use your engagement rate to measure the performance of a specific partnership deal.” - What is engagement rate and why is it important?

Digital Discourse and the Voice of Fannita

Fannita is a TikTok content creator known for her engaging and entertaining videos. Her posts consist of her opinions, her personal life, and current events. The main themes of her videos include comedy, personal storytelling, and social commentary. Similar creators, like Fannita, typically thrive on creating relatable and fun short-form videos that resonate with their audience. 

There has been a lot of discourse on Fannita’s timing to speak up on this issue which has resulted in backlash. People have stated that her weight loss increased her confidence to be more outspoken. Additionally, her popularity online has been a reason people consider when discussing her speaking out. It is problematic to mention her weight as a theory. 

Fannita, popular Instagram and TikTok content creator, was met with backlash online after mentioning her pay in comparison to other content creators, specifically White creators. She mentioned being paid $20,000 less than her counterparts online. 

Users online agree with Fannita’s point yet others believe she should have spoken up sooner. The timing of this conversation makes users ask the question, “Why now?”. Now that this pay disparity is impacting her some believe that is the reason she has chosen to speak up. 

This connects to how people view important topics and tend to miss the key point. Fannita has raised awareness about a serious issue that needs attention, but because of her online behavior, people are reluctant to support her content. Other Black creators have mentioned the pay disparity but given Fannita’s high following, more people were made aware of this issue. Some of her comments made towards other people calling them “broke” and her proximity to whiteness with how much more she makes than other Black creators, resulted in discourse online pertaining to this issue.

Similar situations of Black creators speaking out includes treatment received during Black History Month and the strike that occurred around 2021. Black creators often originally choreograph dances that go viral on the app but receive less engagement in comparison to their White counterparts. Due to this, Black creators decided to go on a strikethrough not creating dances which resulted in White creators feeling lost on what to post next. 

One creator stated, “I can do a TikTok and it might get a couple thousand likes but let somebody not of color do a TikTok they’re getting millions of likes.” - TikTok Strike By Black Creators 

Ultimately, some may wonder “What difference does a few likes make?” It matters when these creators get to buy homes for their parents and be flown out to different countries for simply doing a dance in comparison to choreographing the dance. 

Analyzing the Pay Disparity

The Unequal Playing Field

Jamila Bell, content creator popularized from a meme of her eating Hot Cheetos, spoke on this by stating “A Lot of Black creators like myself who have been around for several years, who have accounts that are well over hundreds of thousands of followers are still having to work day jobs. “I see White creators who in a matter of a couple of months build their following up to whatever number and is like “now watch me move to L.A. as I become a full time content creator.” - There’s A Pay Disparity Among Influencers & Fannita Called This Out On TikTok

This statement highlights the difference in treatment that Black people experience on social media platforms. PR Newswire stated, “Just compare the 35% gap between white and Black influencers to the pay gaps in other industries -- education 8%, business and financial 16%, construction 19%, media sports and entertainment 16%.[1] The gap, this study uncovered in influencer marketing vastly overshadows the gaps in any other industry." 

Although these quotes focus on influencers over content creators, the concept still applies to the pay disparity of Black content creators versus White content creators. 

Solutions for Equitable Treatment

A solution to this issue was presented by Meltwater which states, “Brands should set guidelines for factors that are used to determine rates like engagement and true reach and be mindful of how prices are set with male and female partners.” Additionally, more responsibility should be placed upon companies to maintain a fair system when partnering with content creators. 

Effects on Mental Health

The Psychological Impact of Disparity

With less appreciation online, Black creators don’t feel valued. This can negatively affect one’s mental health. Feeling unappreciated can cause conformity, self-doubt, and a decrease in confidence. 

Refinery 29 states, “Black women experience disparities in access to quality and affordable healthcare. Even with expanded provisions like Medicaid and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, one in five (19%) women with incomes under 200% of the federal poverty level were uninsured in 2022, and Black women represent 22.3% of women in poverty.” - Why Are So Many Black Women Using TikTok To Self-Diagnose?

With lack of access to healthcare, Black people may use social media as an outlet to escape from the stressors of inequality and disparity. Disparity can also lead to burnout.

Harvard’s Business Review states, “Job-insecure employees are more likely to report burnout, decreased work engagement, and lower organizational commitment than their job-secure counterparts.” - If You Live in an Area with High Income Inequality, You’re More Likely to Burn Out at Work

Addressing Systemic Inequality

Combatting this issue will take action from corporations to implement fair terms for their creators of color. Doing so will even the playing field for engagement. The bigger elephant in the room is systemic oppression and this will take longer to dismantle. 

Want to learn more about other digital topics? Check out our TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook.