EP 469: Building Solidarity in the Creator Economy with Kate Tyson & Charlie Gilkey

"How do I want to live?" Philosopher Rahel Jaeggi says this question is bound up in the concept of alienation. Our disconnection and dissatisfaction keep us from answering that question—but they also keep us from asking it in the first place.

So in this episode, Kate, Charlie, and I ask that question—and five more. We examine how work in the creator economy can reinforce competition and individualism when what we really need is solidarity and collective action. If you're curious what you can do to join with others for your own success and theirs, this episode has some ideas.

Footnotes:

• Kate Tyson: Whiskey Fridays (podcast), Wanderings (on Substack) and Wanderwell Consulting
• Charlie Gilkey: Productive Flourishing and Better Team Habits
• "What the creator economy promises and what it actually does" by Kyla Chayka in The New Yorker
• "Surplus populations are all around us" by Tara McMullin
• Alienation by Rahel Jaeggi
• "Metrics, Incentives, and the Seduction of Clarity" by Tara McMullin
• Casey Newton on Decoder with Nilay Patel
• "Algorithms at Work" (algoactivism) by Katherine Kellogg, Melissa Valentine, and Angéle Christin

As always, find an essay version of today's episode at whatworks.fyi

And speaking of the creator economy, if you appreciate the work I do, I'd be so grateful if you became a premium subscriber of What Works for just $7/month. Your support makes a world of difference when it comes to my ability to do this work.

• (00:00) - The promise of the creator economy
• (00:48) - An overflow room for the surplus elite
• (02:31) - How do you want to live?
• (03:34) - Asking better questions about the creator economy
• (04:21) - 1. What are we willing to do to be heard?
• (06:23) - Creating for humans versus creating for the algo
• (09:40) - 2. What do we expect from platforms in return for our labor?
• (11:11) - A closer look at creator math
• (12:26) - Casey Newton, from Platformer, on the value of Substack subscribers
• (15:27) - Platforms can alter how we see our whole businesses--not just the marketing
• (16:03) - 3. How do you want to contribute to your communities?
• (17:11) - Charlie's switch to Substack
• (19:35) - The risks of going all in on a platform
• (22:30) - What do we want to build together?
• (25:58) - Creating relational layers outside of the algos & platforms
• (28:19) - 5. How will we organize?
• (28:37) - Algoactivism
• (31:25) - Revisiting: How do I want to live?
• (32:53) - Credits