Influence at Any Age, Chapter 3
Influence at Any Age
Many people picture a creator as a 22-year-old dancing in a bedroom. The data suggests a wider picture. This chapter shows who creators actually are, what each stage of life offers, and how to decide between part-time and full-time.
Who creators actually are
Careful sources disagree about numbers because “creator” is hard to define. Here is what can be said with confidence:
Adobe’s Future of Creativity study (2022) surveyed people in nine countries and reported that more than 165 million people had begun to see themselves as creators since 2020, including about 34 million in the United States. It found that millennials, not teenagers, were the largest group of creators, at 42 percent of the creator economy, while Gen Z was 14 percent.
What you can take from this: you are not late, and you are not unusual.
The three economies: speed, authority and trust
Ages 18 to 29: Speed and entertainment. What wins: fast trends, challenges, comedy, dance, reactions, music clips, relatable humour. Speed matters because short-video platforms reward videos that people finish and replay.
Ages 30 to 49: Authority and practical help. What wins: do-it-yourself and home projects, personal finance, parenting, careers, real estate, health and fitness basics, tradecraft. Authority produces videos people search for.
Ages 50 to 80: Trust, craft and lifestyle. What wins: gardening, cooking, handcrafts, repair, history, caregiving, travel after retirement, style, wellness and any skill that takes patience. A calm, clear voice is an asset. Viewers often choose these videos because they can follow along.
That’s the start. The rest is in the book.
