Raffi Ahmad and Fellow Influencers Face Growing Financial Strain, Signs Already Emerging in America

The world of content creators and influencers often appears glamorous, with the promise of large incomes and soaring popularity. However, the reality behind the scenes is becoming increasingly challenging. As seen initially in the United States, this condition is now being felt worldwide, including in Indonesia, meaning even big names like Raffi Ahmad and his peers are not immune to the risks of fierce competition and changes to revenue rules. Over the past few years, the industry has become more crowded. According to a 2023 Goldman Sachs report, around 50 million people globally were earning income from social media content. This figure has continued to surge and is projected to exceed 80 million by mid-2026, with annual growth expected to remain between 12% and 18% until 2028. Consequently, the available ‘revenue pie’ must be divided among more hands, shrinking the portion each person receives. Income inequality is becoming increasingly apparent. Data from research firm NeoReach shows that in 2024, 48% of creators earned less than US$15,000, or approximately Rp 245 million, per year, while only 14% managed to earn more than US$100,000, equivalent to Rp 1.6 billion. This situation worsened in the 2025-2026 period, according to updated data from the Influencer Marketing Hub, with around 55% of creators earning below US$18,000, or about Rp 320 million annually, while the percentage of high earners shrank to just 10% to 12%. A concrete example can be seen in an early 2026 report from The Wall Street Journal. It noted that American creator Clint Brantley, despite having over 400,000 followers and an average of 100,000 views per piece of content, earned only around US$42,000 in 2025. This figure is still below the average full-time worker’s salary in the United States, which reached US$61,900 per year, with high uncertainty as his income could fluctuate drastically by 30% to 50% from month to month. Changes to payment policies from social media platforms are a major factor squeezing creators’ cash flow. The era of platforms offering large bonuses to attract new content creators is over. Now, rules are being tightened and requirements are becoming higher, as reviewed in a 2025-2026 eMarketer industry report. TikTok, for example, discontinued its old creator fund and replaced it with the Creator Rewards Programme, effective from 2025. TikTok announced that to receive payment, a person must have a minimum of 10,000 followers, achieve 100,000 views in 30 days, and create content with a minimum duration of 60 seconds. Although the payment rate per 1,000 views has slightly increased, direct income from the platform alone is no longer sufficient to rely on. A similar situation was experienced by another creator, Ben-Hyun, who has 2.9 million followers. According to the 2026 Creator Economy Report, if he previously could earn around US$1,200 for content watched 10 million times, he now only receives about US$100 to US$300 for the same number of views. YouTube is also implementing stricter standards. Based on YouTube’s latest policy for short-form content or Shorts, to share 45% of advertising revenue, a creator must have at least 1,000 followers and reach 10 million views within 90 days. Meanwhile, long-form content still offers better pay, but the competition is much fiercer. Instagram also updated its system to the Reels Bonus+ programme, where payment is based on achieving specific targets rather than just the number of views, making the amount uncertain each month, as announced by Meta in early 2026. In Indonesia, this dynamic is also clearly felt. According to data from the Indonesian E-Commerce and Digital Marketing Association (APEDI) and the 2026 We Are Social & Hootsuite report, the influencer marketing market value is estimated to reach Rp 4.2 trillion, or about US$275 million, but its growth has slowed to only 12% to 15% per year after previously soaring above 40%. Of the approximately 3.5 million active creators in the country, with around 800,000 working full-time, only about 3% to 5% manage to earn more than Rp 100 million per month. The average income of creators in Indonesia varies sharply. Those with 1,000 to 10,000 followers typically earn only Rp 500,000 to Rp 5 million per month, while those with 10,000 to 50,000 followers range between Rp 5 million and Rp 20 million. Only the group with very large followings, such as those held by Raffi Ahmad and several other celebrities, can still enjoy incomes above Rp 200 million or even billions of rupiah per month, but they can no longer rely on just one source of income. Furthermore, another challenge faced is the nature of this work, which does not provide the security of an office job. There are no health benefits, pension funds, or annual bonuses. Added to this, the pressure to constantly create content that appeals to viewers, follow rapidly changing trends, and maintain engagement with followers makes this profession extremely draining, both mentally and physically.