The intimacy and immediacy of watching videos on a phone screen (how about 70% of YouTube viewers watch) helps creators connect with their audiences, opening opportunities for making money beyond just a cut of ad revenue. Sergey Vashketov films his two sons, Vlad and Niki, who make wildly popular videos for kids. The boys dress up in costumes, play... See more

MrBeast — whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson — is the most popular YouTuber on the planet, with a grip on younger people (and the internet in general) that can be hard for some adults to comprehend. He produces videos known for both their scale (“I recreated every set from ‘Squid Game’in real life, and whichever one of these 456 people survives the... See more

The final and most recent piece of the creator triad is monetization. Being a creator is hard and often unforgiving work. One study found that reaching the top 3.5% of YouTube channels—which means about 1 million views each month—only nets you $12,000 to $16,000 a year, around the federal poverty line.