Disclaimer!!! This post is not intended to replace nor to be a substitute for real help from a licensed medical professional. Only by speaking with your doctor can you get completely individualistic information that is accurate to your exact situation and everything that you are personally going through. Also, this was not sponsored content by any organization or service just my personal understanding of the topic of workplace burnout.
Today we are going to talk about burnout. While burnout can happen to anyone in any work environment (don’t worry we will mention that plenty) we will mostly be focusing on the burnout faced by content creators, just because the number of content creators is currently the highest it’s ever been due to the need for the content and the fact that many have lost their day jobs due to the economic crisis caused by Covid-19. We are also going to be talking about content creation burnout because the rate of Gen-Z TikTok starts facing burnout and leaving the platform is alarming and is being met with hostility by faceless internet bullies who think that just because people become somewhat famous, they lose their rights as human beings, though with the stigma on mental health it is already hard enough for people struggling to talk about their issues.
First, we are going to look at a journal article from Taylor Lorenz a journalist at the New York Times. She just recently wrote a scary but touching article about one problem that is way too common now in this age of the internet. In her article titled “Young Creators Are Burning Out and Breaking Down,” she shined some light on a major issue she found that was being faced by Gen Z content creators on the popular social media and viral video platform TikTok, Burnout! Lorenz mentioned the names of several TikTok influencers like Jack Innanen, Sha Crow, Charli D’Amelio, Spencewuah, and many more, each having something very important to add to the conversation about content creator burnout. Many said that they have noticed a trend on TikTok where there was less activity from the older TikTok stars, and the younger ones were just leaving the app altogether.
Lorenz noted that one main reason both content creators and workers in every other career are facing burnout is the covid 19 pandemic. Massive numbers of workers in all fields and at all career levels are facing this troubling issue.
This is an issue for everyone, not just for the people suffering from this health crisis. On the side of content creators, it’s obviously a huge issue for the creators themselves, but also for their fans who look up to them and who look to them for inspiration and whatever other aspects of their content they were producing before they became burnt out, many of whom are kids and teens who want to be just like their favorite influencers but who don’t really know what they’re getting into.
The only ones not damaged by the high rate of content creator burnout are the higher-ups at the tech companies in silicon valley. The owners of these social media and video platforms get to line their pockets the more they push everyone to become a content creator. The more content creators there are, the more people there are using these apps, the more people using these apps the more time is spent using these apps, and the more time spent using these apps, the more money the companies make from ad- revenue. So for them it doesn’t matter if thousands of creators a day burn out and fade away, because there will be a thousand more to take their places, therefore keeping up the unrealistic standards set by the algorithms and content viewers. That is what I like to call a major problem.
Traditional companies and workplaces do suffer when their employees suffer, especially in fields where there is a high turnover rate like social workers and those in retail and customer service.
We can’t just completely ignore the burnout being felt by workers in other industries as well (especially the burnout faced by first responders and health care workers). Some of you out there may be facing this awful health crisis. The burnout faced by the typical worker in any regular field where there is not a constant cycle of replacement, affects everyone from the worker experiencing the burnout, to those other people in their workplace, to the families and loved ones of the worker feeling the burnout. At work, they are missing out on all the value the burnt-out worker could bring to the table when they feel mentally well and inspired. It can also take a toll on family members of the burnt-out worker because when we are burnt out and feel overwhelmed that is very noticeable to the people around us, especially to the people who love us, care for us, and count on us to be at our best. And we must stay as well and healthy as we can and fill up our own bucket before we try to fill up the buckets of others who need us.
I will be writing a blog post or doing a video discussing this concept put for those who don’t know what it means I’ll give the analogy of being on an airplane and the air masks come down. Even if you have children that you are caring for you need to put on your own mask first before you help the children so you can be in the best possible condition to help them properly.
This has been a tough lesson for me to learn I see my greatest strength as being able to help others, but for a long time, I was doing this while neglecting myself and my needs. I did ok like that for a while, at least on the surface, but over time it was just taking too much out of me, and I became burnt out too. That’s why for a long time it was so hard for me to keep doing the things I love like this blog, its YouTube channel, and my other just for fun YouTube channel. It was even taking over my personal life and it completely took over any healthy functioning I had left after dealing with all my other mental and physical health issues (trust me, I already have enough to worry about with both my physical and mental health). Luckily for me, I was able to eventually get out of burnout, and I don’t currently have the pressure of being the star of any platform I use. That’s not really my goal, though I do want to be able to help as many people as I can in the short amount of time I have left on this earth.
You may be wondering just how many content creators there are there in the world. It can’t be that many, right? Well, I was certainly shocked to discover that Lorenz found information from a report from a firm called SignalFire that claimed over 50 million people recognize themselves as creators and influencers, it was also found that this industry is the fastest-growing small business segment which is mostly because many people found themselves either out of work or otherwise confined to the home and had to do everything online due to the pandemic.
This pandemic has caused so much pain for so many people. It has left us isolated; it has caused many to lose their only sources of income and their homes. On top of that, there has been a rather high level of violence in our modern more civilized world. It may not be that there is more violence, but now thanks to the fact that everyone has a recording device in the palm of their hands, we are just being exposed to it more than ever before.
The pandemic unfortunately has amplified everything and is leaving people isolated and out of their normal routine. This is causing more people than ever to convert their lives to remote and online for everything from work to social encounters, to even hobbies and past time and live events. It is also leading more people than ever to experience the pains of work and content creation burnout.
It is important to note that it’s not just TikTokers who are dealing with extreme stress and breaks in their mental health, now massive amounts of YouTubers are leaving and no longer creating videos or doing what once brought them such joy. Lorenz found that the reason seems to be the ridiculous expectations put on them to create new and interesting content every day; they are afraid they will not be able to keep up with the algorithm and disappear into obscurity if they fail to do so. This does seem to be the case, and I have seen it from so many YouTubers I follow share their own mental health struggles, from Markiplier to JackSepticEye, Ethan from CrankGamePlays, and Daz Black (I mostly follow gaming and content review YouTubers). I’m sure there are thousands of more content creators suffering the effects of burnout, maybe even any number of the ones you watch.
Many people with the hopes of becoming famous have turned to TikTok because they are finding it can get you recognition the fastest out of all the social media platforms. Lorenz was told by one of the creators that the problem is you can become famous within a week, but lose all the fame in an instant. 22-year-old TikTok creator Lauren Sasyna from Toronto had this to say about what such a phenomenon can feel like, “It almost feels like I’m getting a taste of celebrity, but it’s never consistent and as soon as you get it, it’s gone and you’re constantly trying to get it back, She claims that “It feels like I’m trying to capture this prize, but I don’t know what the prize even is.” This is very sad to think about. All of these young people with the whole world at their feet are already experiencing such severe health issues just because they are not treated like humans and are in a constant state of uncertainty as to how to keep their momentum going when faced with impossible standards to overcome
The reason I am not talking about other fields as much is that in the traditional workforce there are things both workers and employers can do to improve working conditions before the final stages of burnout are ever reached. I know not all people are in fields or positions where they are seen as a priority like that, but there are still more resources available and there are fewer expectations placed on them (for the most part) my heart truly goes out to those, not in a position to receive the right kind of help from their employers such as others who own their own businesses. It is vital for everyone especially people in these positions and first responders and health care workers to do some extra and personal work to find destressing methods that work for them, and that aren’t just merely distractions from the real problem.
There may be some people out there who don’t understand why burnout is such a huge issue for influencers and content creators, but 23-year-old, Los Angeles TikTok star Luis Capecchi pointed out that “It’s like getting demoted at a job with no warning.” Their entire livelihoods are being affected by the algorithms and intense demands put on them by the general public to create as much content as possible in as little time as possible. When views drop, so does their income and their jobs are not like others, they are closer to small businesses who are having to secure all their own benefits without the help of groups like workers unions and government funding.
Another main issue for these creators that is much different from what other workers go through is that there is a higher level of cyberbullying, harassment, and discrimination as people feel braver being anonymous behind a screen. One creator pointed out that when they complain about these issues, they are told to get over it because they are influencers. Unfortunately, this happens a lot to celebrities, and now these rising TikTok stars and other content creators are becoming temporary celebrities. When this happens people eventually stop seeing you as a normal human being, and more of an object they can do whatever they want with. Suddenly you don’t have the right to any kind of privacy and all your actions and choices are being judged by the whole world. Since you become a role model especially to young minds you are expected to always act as such even in the privacy of your own home, and for content creators the moment they stop creating content or step even a bit out of line they are met with hate and criticism.
This takes a toll on one’s mental health which can further take a toll on one’s physical health. One creator made a seemingly true observation, that “it seems like social media was designed purposely to burn people out”. There comes a certain point on social media where you do start to feel like everything you see is just shallow and fake, or at least that’s how I’ve started to feel.
I always strive to be honest and authentic about everything, but who knows, should I actually become any kind of well-known for what I do, I might feel very similar pressures to tailor what I post to avoid the harshest criticisms of the internet. Though I don’t really foresee that happening, I’ll step down before I become fake for the sake of the views. I do know that this is not an easy choice to make for most people on these platforms, especially those whose financial security depends on what they post. And that is just wrong to me, completely wrong.
Aside from viral video platforms, too much time or the wrong mindset while on other social media platforms can be just as harmful to the mind as the burnout faced by the influencers. It is pretty much essential for viral video stars to use some type of social media platform to promote the work they are doing on their other channels, blogs, apps, or whatever other projects they have going on
Robert T. Muller another journalist wrote an article about social media and its effects on influencers. He pointed out that for most of these influencers their whole world including work and outside of work revolves around social media. His article brings up an issue that not only content creators have to worry about, but all of us who delight in our favorite social media apps and sites. Muller talks about the research that has been done proving that spending too much time on social media can lead people to start making social comparisons.
I must admit that I’ve been guilty of just that it can be super tempting to see all the people posting their #perfectlife posts and selfies, while you are struggling just to keep it together. I have been right there and felt similar green envy sensations that lead us to feel like we are missing out on a better life than the one we are currently living. But one thing that has helped me, and that may help you, is realizing that those same people might be feeling the same exact way about their lives and the stuff they see on the apps (maybe even about stuff you post).
According to Muller, it has also been proven that social comparisons are inefficient and take up a lot of brainpower. We already put our brains through enough mental gymnastics each day, why not be kind to our brains and give them a break from social comparison? It will help keep us away from getting social media burnout and other negative symptoms that come along with too much social media. Muller found that there are some common negative side effects of social comparison. “Those who are solely focused on social comparisons can experience detrimental effects, including decreased appearance satisfaction, low self-evaluations, higher negative mood, insecurity, and anxiety.” There is also a type of comparison called upward social comparison. This is being done by influencers who look up to other high-status influencers. All these problems with social media and unrealistic expectations of influencers can also lead to high levels of burnout.
Now it’s time to get an actual breakdown on burnout; what it is, what it means for you, how to stop it, and how to prevent it from happening in the first place. Burnout is what happens after way too much unmanaged workplace stress creeps up on you. This Is consistent stress that is not taken care of the right way. I hope by now you are starting to see that burnout affects everyone in every industry and that while it is a serious issue, it is a manageable and preventable one. I don’t have any way of knowing who exactly you on the opposite side of this screen are, what you do for a living, or what you are going through, but I do know that it is highly likely you have gone through burnout at least once in your life, or that you will someday in the future, especially now with Covid-19 changing everything about our way of life. This blog post today has mostly been geared towards content creators and influencers but burnout is a phenomenon that affects all of us no matter what job we do. There may be some different triggers, but the symptoms and how it can be reversed are similar for everyone who goes through it.
The World Health Organization states that there are three dimensions to burn out
1. You feel completely exhausted and drained of energy
2. You feel more mentally distant from your job, or you are harboring greater feelings of negativism or cynicism about your job
3. And finally, you have a reduced professional efficacy
The Winona State University in Minnesota found that there are five different stages of burnout. They have a full guide for students and staff on how to manage stress. Once they had finished all their research, they made a list of the five stages so that they could help people recognize when they were at risk for burnout.
Burnout is an ever-common phenomenon in our modern-day and age. Anyone from any position in any industry can suffer the effects of burnout. And when one suffers from it, the issue affects more than just that one person. It can damage all that person’s relationships; it can put a strain on their company and co-workers who must pick up the extra work to fix the problem. It can lead to the individual becoming fired so they and their family suffer even more, and it can place even more burden on the health care system and that family if they don’t have the right insurance, or if they don’t have enough insurance coverage to deal with the health costs. Plus, it takes a toll on the sufferer’s physical and emotional health.
There have been studies done to show that burnout is currently affecting millennials the most out of any age group and especially now during the days of covid. It is also greatly affecting content creators both younger and older.
It is causing many rising TikTok and YouTube stars to leave the platform for mental health reasons, and the sad part is people don’t seem to care because they have become hungry for the newest and trendiest content, and some believe that since they chose to be role models and influencers that they do not deserve the same compassion for this issue that others do. In a sense, they lose elements of their humanity once they achieve stardom (at least in the public eye).
These creators are feeling pressure from the algorithms to produce original content every day multiple times a day so they can stay relevant and not lose the income that they rely on. Plus, since they are considered small businesses, it is up to them to supply everything from benefits to health care with no unions to protect their best interests.
I myself have felt a bit of burnout, though I don’t believe I ever made it to stage five, I think I quit and took a break before then, but I am in a different situation as of right now, because I have no external factors pushing me to create. I’m pretty positive my only real follower who tunes into my stuff is my aunt, and she doesn’t even watch my gaming channel (Hey auntie!). To be honest, I am doing this blog, my two YouTube channels, and my social media activity all because It makes me happy and I want to try to help people who have been through the same or similar stuff that I have been through, and even people who have been through the different but still bad stuff. I love helping people and right now I am too disabled to work a regular job so I’m trying to be as productive as I can until I get healthy and well-minded enough to do my dream job of being a mental health counselor. All this work I’m doing with my channels and blog is helping me learn my own new ways of healthy coping and lifestyle changes so I will be able to break out of my situation one day.
Whether you are a content creator, a doctor, janitor, or whatever you are, If you think you may be experiencing burnout please do all you can to get some healthy coping skills and try to follow the steps to get yourself out of burnout before it gets to the final stage. Seek actual professional help from a licensed physical doctor and a mental health counselor if you can.
Nowadays with things like better help, there are more ways than ever for you to get a licensed therapist and a much cheaper cost than traditional therapy if your insurance doesn’t cover it. If that doesn’t work for you or if you feel you are at the crisis stage, there are hotlines and warmlines you can call for just about any mental health situation imaginable, and a peer or other volunteer most likely will stay on the line with you and will connect you to the proper resources to get you back down to a calmer state of being until you can get seen by a proper health care worker.
In today’s society, there is a great stigma surrounding all things mental health, even when it is being talked about more than ever before. I’d like to say our society is starting to get better, but there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done. The way we get that work done is by not being afraid to share our struggles and to be open-minded and judgment-free when others are confiding in us and telling us their mental health struggles, even if it is a family member and what they are saying is hard to hear because you love them and just want them to be alright. I am dedicated to breaking the stigma by being vulnerable with you about myself, what I have been through, and what I am doing to create a better future for myself and others who come in contact with me. That’s why I’d love for you to stay with me through these technical and financial struggles I’m facing so I can provide you with the best content I can provide.
And I’m willing to bet it’s very rough-looking right now because I am still learning all the ropes and how to do things. But I will learn what I need to learn, and I will only get better from here. I thank you all so much for tuning in to the fight4mylife. And I hope you stay tuned because there is a lot of good stuff coming. I am definitely in stage one of the burnout phases, and I plan to keep it that way for a long time, by continuously checking in with myself and learning new ways of coping each day.
Until next time, XOXO!
Resources
Content Research
Lorenz, T. (2021, June 8). Young Creators Are Burning Out and Breaking Down. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/style/creator-burnout-social-media.html?searchResultPosition=5#after-top.
Muller, R. T. (2021, May 21). Social Media Affects Influencers’ Mental Health – TMHR. The Trauma & Mental Health Report. https://trauma.blog.yorku.ca/2021/03/social-media-affects-influencers-mental-health/.
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