Why algorithmic feeds are killing the value of follower counts

The creator economy has reached a structural turning point where traditional follower counts are losing their utility. As social media platforms increasingly rely on algorithmic feeds to distribute content, having a large following no longer guarantees audience reach. Amber Venz Box, the CEO of LTK—an affiliate marketing platform that connects creators with brands—noted that 2025 was the year the algorithm completely took over, causing follower counts to stop mattering entirely.

This shift comes as audiences seek authentic human connection to counter the rise of “slop,” a term used to describe low-quality, AI-generated content. Despite the influx of automated material, a study commissioned by Northwestern University found that trust in creators actually increased 21% year-over-year. This growing trust is driving commercial interest: the same study reported that 97% of chief marketing officers in the United States intend to grow their influencer marketing budgets in the new year. As Sean Atkins, the CEO of short-form video production company Dhar Mann Studios, observed: “In a world that’s driven by AI and algorithms, where people trust another human being more in this micro atomization of attention, how do you market when you sort of can’t control that?”

To navigate this fragmented landscape, creators are turning to clipping—the practice of having third parties repurpose video content into short clips for mass distribution across algorithmic platforms. Eric Wei, co-founder of Karat Financial, which provides financial services for creators, stated that clipping is going to become even more popular this year, noting that the practice has already been underway for some time among major creators. Glenn Ginsburg, president of QYOU Media, a content production company for young audiences, described clipping as an evolution of meme accounts where creators compete to push content far and wide. However, scaling these operations remains difficult. Reed Duchscher, the founding CEO of talent management company Night, pointed out that while clipping is a useful way for creators to distribute their content and increase their visibility, scaling the strategy is complicated by the limited number of clippers on the internet.

As mass-market metrics fade, the industry is maturing toward highly specialized, niche communities. Rather than chasing broad, superficial appeal, successful creators are building tangible businesses around dedicated audiences. This trend is exemplified by the creator-led gardening brand Epic Gardening, which transitioned from digital content creation to physical operations by acquiring the third largest seed company in the United States.

Why it matters

The creator economy is shifting away from vanity metrics like follower counts toward niche communities and algorithmic clipping strategies as AI-driven content saturates social platforms.