The Creator Economy Is a Scam

So many of these courses are like, "You have paid $30 for this course. Put this course back into chat GPT, make it your own, and then turn around and sell it to someone else." That's insane to me. These days, the hustle economy isn't about pink Cadillacs or essential oils. It's about selling content creation across the internet, but especially on Instagram. Content creation as a career has quietly taken on the structure and psychology of a multi-level marketing scheme, especially for young mothers who are promised income, identity, and autonomy. Platforms are overflowing with videos insisting that anyone can do it, that success is just a few short form videos away, and that failure is a mindset problem rather than a structural inevitability. This new MLM style industry is being monetized through courses, coaching sessions, and an endless array of self-branding PDFs. But how did content creation become a digital pyramid scheme? And why are so many young mothers being roped into it? To discuss all of this, I called up my friend Caroline Moss. Caroline is the founder of G Thanks, Just Bought It, an amazing newsletter and podcast where she gives shopping recommendations on the best products. I have bought so much stuff from this newsletter. It's amazing. She always finds the best deals. The shorts that I wear every single day, I found in this newsletter. I've bought so much random stuff from my home that I absolutely love. I've known Caroline for over 15 years. She's a genius and she's also so deep in the world of MLM mama content creation Instagram. So, so excited to have her here today. Hi, Caroline. Welcome to Power User Podcast. Hello, Taylor. Thanks for having me. I'm so glad you're here because I wanted to discuss this with you so much and I feel like we've been texting each other