In defense of being ‘extremely online.’ The creator economy by the numbers

Richard Florida maintains that in a time filled with loneliness, isolation, and alienation, the digital creator economy provides hundreds of millions of people with a source of meaning, purpose, community, and much-needed income.

The online world, we are increasingly told, is as harmful as cigarette smoking. It undermines trust in institutions like the government and the news media, poisons our discourse, amplifies disinformation, shortens our attention spans, narrows our thinking, and makes kids anxious, depressed, and antisocial. The U.S. Surgeon General has urged that it be required to carry the same warning labels as tobacco products. And Australia recently banned social media use for teens.