Content creators at a crossroads between decentralized and centralized social media

Social media have become an important channel and source of income for content creators. However, the owners of centralized social media platforms may engage in practices and make decisions related to (1) monetization, (2) content moderation, and (3) privacy and security, which may be detrimental to content creators’ earning potential and long-term success. This paper investigates the extent to which new types of social media platforms may address those three challenges due to their decentralized nature. Specifically, we analyze the potential and limitations of federated vs. blockchain-based social media platforms as platforms for content creators and provide recommendations for content creators. Given the role of user-generated content in the success of social media platforms, we also provide directions for research and development of decentralized social media to increase their relevance for content creators.