Internet Money: Digital Hustle of the Modern Age
Written by Terrell Burse
Photography and Graphics by Desiree Daos
Modeled by Terrell Burse, Aliyah Rivero, and Sophia Lins
Somewhere out there right now, someone just made $600 in just a day while sitting on their couch. That’s roughly $4,200 a week that someone is making while you work a 9 hour shift everyday slaving away for minimum wage. The internet and social media is one of, if not the biggest gold rush of our time, except miners don’t need shovels and health issues, they just need consistency, a plan, and a little bit of luck. $36.15 billion is the total advertising revenue that YouTube alone brought in 2024.
Although the concept and early development of the internet started in the late 1960s, the internet officially “began” in 1983. The initial focus of the internet was for academics and research, but the development of browsers enabled easy browsing and navigation, making the internet more user friendly and accessible to the public. “The World Wide Web,” which made the internet accessible, was made available to the public on April 30, 1993. Shortly after being made accessible, people began to find ways to make money. A very familiar and popular instance is Ebay. Ebay was founded Sept. 3, 1995, and it is an online marketplace where businesses and individuals can buy and sell a large variety of goods through auctions and priced listings. Three years later, in 1998, Ebay reported to generate net revenues of $47.4 million, which was a 724% increase compared to 1997, which Ebay reported to make $5.7 million during the fiscal year. This would only be the start of people using the vast resources of the Internet to generate income.
Fast forward to 2005, the ubiquitous and revolutionary titan we know as YouTube was created. By the time it was officially launched to the public, YouTube was surpassing more than 2 million video views each day. According to Britannica, “The number of videos available at the site surpassed 25 million in March 2006, with more than 20,000 new videos uploaded on a daily basis.” As of 2023, Tech Jury states that, “content creators upload about 3.7 million videos every day.”
This should put into perspective how limitless the opportunities are. This is a heavy indication of everyday people making content ranging from simple videos of them talking, to videos promoting homemade products, to highly edited and cinematic videos. YouTube is a canvas and the creators who post on there are the artists that can do whatever they please to express their creative ideas. One notable YouTuber who has influenced a generation is Darryle Dwayne Granberry Jr., popularly known as DDG. The 26 year old has managed to gain a fortune of over $8 million from YouTube and the opportunities it has to offer. DDG has built generational wealth from using the internet and exploring its opportunities, getting a start on YouTube in 2014. YouTube is only the start; with apps like TikTok, Instagram, Depop, and Twitch also assisting everyday people with making livable wages, a lot of people are making enough to feed generations.
A common misconception to make money using the internet is that you need to have hundreds of thousands of followers and make extreme videos, but the truth is you can just do anything, anywhere, at any time to generate income on apps such as Tiktok and Instagram. You can literally do anything on the internet to make money, and I cannot stress “anything” enough. You can make music reactions, sell handmade clothing, record yourself throughout the day, read to people online, live stream, and many more. You can share videos of you singing, share videos of your dog, post outfit pictures; you can do all this to make money online. You can also make money doing all this with little to no followers, if you know how to market yourself and your personal brand well enough.
As of 2024, TikTok has surpassed a whopping 1.5 billion monthly active users in 2024, which has caused the creator economy to expand significantly. One creator who has used TikTok to its advantage is Khaby Lame, the most followed creator on TikTok. He gained fame on popularity by doing “silent comedy skits”, where he basically breaks down “life hacks” only using facial expressions and reactions. He started from zero and all he used was his phone and facial expressions. Khaby’s content appeals past language barriers, and he uses humor which is universal leading to him gaining brand partnerships and sponsorships such as Binance. Khaby’s estimated yearly earnings are at least $16 million, with sponsored posts reaching up to $400,000. Khaby Lame went from an everyday normal civilian uploading videos of him making “faces” and not even talking, to an international figure known world wide for his humoristic videos.
As you can see, due to the vast resources of the Internet and powerhouses such as TikTok and YouTube, you can generate income that could feed generations. From doing podcasts, to making edits of other videos online, to pretending to be an NPC, there are infinite ways to make money using the opportunities social media and the internet has to offer. The money is out there for you to obtain, you simply have to log in and post something, anything.