Creator Culture & Public Diplomacy

This feature was included in CPD's 2023–2024 Annual Report. 

David Craig is a member of CPD's Professional Training Faculty, a Clinical Professor of Communication, and Director of the Global Media and Communication (MA) program at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

What is creator culture?

Creator culture refers to entrepreneurs who have developed an expertise at harnessing social media platforms to build online communities from which they can derive both economic and cultural value. Creators operate across multiple platforms, and the value of the global creator economy is estimated somewhere between 20 billion and half a trillion dollars.

How does creator culture intersect with public diplomacy?

My research focuses on just that: the expanding role of creators in social advocacy and public diplomacy. Creator culture emerged from the margins, with Asian-Americans and queer creators playing a pivotal role in its early years. These creators not only profit from their communities but also advocate for them, becoming symbols of social movements and agents of change. Both the Obama and Biden administrations recognized creators’ potential in promoting key initiatives such as healthcare and global political awareness, including support for U.S. involvement in Ukraine. Programs like YouTube’s “Creators for Change” initially focused on fighting extremism and disinformation in regions like the Middle East and Southeast Asia.  These examples are just a fraction of the advocacy and diplomacy work creators are involved in globally, as we see a growing intersection between creative influence, social impact, and global political efforts.

How do creators go about building community? 

Creators in today’s digital culture don’t see their followers as traditional fans or audiences but as participants in a unique relational dynamic. This approach prioritizes interaction over mere broadcasting. Creators use content not just to disseminate information but to foster engagement, encouraging likes, shares, and subscriptions. Their success hinges on maintaining authenticity, as any dissonance between their on-camera persona and off-camera reality can lead to a collapse of their community and business model. Creators do a ton of invisible labor to build and maintain relationships with their communities, such as responding to comments and tailoring content.

How can public diplomacy practitioners work with creators?

Organizations or governments must be very strategic in collaborating with creators. Unlike traditional celebrity endorsements, creators must align any message with their established rapport with their community for it to resonate. A creator suddenly advocating for an unrelated cause without integrating it authentically into their content risks confusing or alienating their audience. To navigate this, organizations have adopted diverse strategies, from partnering with creators on specific campaigns to focusing on fundraising collaborations. Any advocacy or public diplomacy campaign must be tailored to the nuanced relationships between creators and their communities.