Rob Horning explores the term “creator” in this essay on labor, exploitation, and content production and consumption on the internet.

“Creator,” like “creativity,” is essentially a null term that signifies nothing about one’s activity but instead marks one’s limitless availability — a willingness to make anything at all in one’s life into content for sale.

Cheri has been an editor at Longreads since 2014. She's currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.