SUMMARY: People from all walks of life are attracted to making TikTok videos for the "cha-ching" factor and while Black influencers are "in the money" they were not recognized on Forbes Magazine's ranking of the biggest ballers on the app. From food and fashion, to comedy and entertainment, Black influencers are crushing viral videos across genres on TikTok and other online platforms. Yet, this snub calls into question fairness and equality in advertising in the ever-blossoming world of social media. Blacks remain leading trend-setters and are getting a share of the coinage, but not to the utmost degree like young White girls who dominate TikTok.
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Forbes Magazine has released its list of the top 5 highest-paid TikTokers and none of them are Black. The platform's top-earning celebrities collectively hauled in $55.5 million in 2021 - a 200% increase from a year earlier. The publication says it sought creators who made well over $1 million, which is considered easily attainable by today's standards. Forbes' list requires a minimum of $4.75 million. This surge in earnings is a testament to the lucrative nature of content creation; however, Forbes' list has reignited the discussion about how Black content creators are being left out of the financial rainfall.
Black creators cite not being equally pursued by brands for sponsorship as a reason for the pay gap. Whites have simply been given more opportunities to increase their earnings outside of the platform that initially made them famous. "Feel good guru" Tabatha Brown is an exception. Her mass appeal has lead to the creation of her own line of seasonings and representation for several brands. Brown testifies about how quickly she amassed wealth through internet fame in an almost effortless way. The actress is now a cast member of Showtime's "The Chi" as she enjoys over 3 million internet followers.
Forbes explained its criteria: “We look at the top-earning stars whose fame originated first on TikTok. This leaves out other celebrities active on the app, like Will Smith and Jason DeRulo,” Forbes stated about their ranking process. “From there, our numbers estimate what the TikTokers earned from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. This is different from our debut list in 2020, which calculated earnings from July 2019 through July 2020. Another difference: That initial ranking was a snapshot of who we thought had earned a million dollars from TikTok during those 12 months. With sponsored content rates up, a million isn’t hard to do anymore, which is why this new Top 5 list requires a minimum of $4.75 million in earnings, a point several times greater than our original roll’s cutoff.”
Given their requirements, Senegalese internet sensation Khaby Lame deserved a spot on the Forbes list. You may have seen him, but not heard him. He makes fun of TikTok trends by reinacting them Lame, 21 is the second most followed TikToker, boasting nearly 130 million followers, but his net worth is $5 million (according to soe sources; others show his earning in the range of $2 million) in comparison to the leader Charli D'Amelio's $12 million. While Lame may have a higher net worth than some of the content creators listed in Forbes, his name was omitted. It is difficult to understand how Forbes missed Lame when in June of 2021 The New York Times practically crowned him as King of the Internet in a feature article. The TikTok star lost followers when he spoke out about racism.
TikTok's highest earning celeb, D'Amelio was checked for getting famous off of moves she borrowed from a Black creator. In 2021, Charli raked in $17.5 M and currently has the apps largest following (133 million fans). The 17-year-old rose to fame in 2020 via TikTok by posting popular dance videos. In one of her first viral TikTok videos she dances to a song called "Renegade" which was a popular dance challenge circulating on the app. Charli came under criticism in the media for not crediting the original creator of the dance - 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon. While Charli did eventually acknowledge Jalaiah, the overarching lack of acknowledgement of Black content creators in the TikTok community and the contrast in earnings they receive remains an issue.
With $57 million and $10 million in earnings, Charli's sister, Dixie D'Amelio is #2 on the list. Addison Rae comes in at #3 earning $8.5 million and 87 million followerd. Bella Poarch and Josh Richards (the only man in the top 5 with 26 million followers) tie each earning $5 million.
Black TikTokers went on a strike in 2021, claiming content mismanagement, as well as the co-opting of trends that were appropriated by white content creators without giving credit. From Tik-Tokers to Youtubers, complaints included issues with algorithms not getting enough traffic to not being featured on "for you" pages that lets users know about relevant posts and not being offered deals from major brands. They noticed a decline in their numbers and protested to bring the issue to the forefront. TikTok and YouTube responded to the backlash saying they are working to improve their apps to be more fair.
With regard to increasing earnings, on the internet there are multiple ways to earn income aside from selling merchandise and promoting and representing brands. With an increase in sponsored content rates, there is money to be made using the systems available online. Some influencers have found ways to calculate their own pay. Large amounts of followers or subscribers enable creators to set their own rates and demand top-dollar for use of their image.
Forbes' list is a bitter reminder of the racial inequality that is found in the realm of business, the entertainment industry, and beyond.