Below are guest posts and opinions Adrian Garellik, Flixxo CEO and co-foundero
The manufacturing taste of the algorithm. It is efficient for retention, but brutal for creators who live and die on opaque feed. Research shows that burnout and skepticism about AI-mediated media is growing, but they continue to optimise metrics while keeping the manufacturer on the sidelines. It’s time to rebuild rails with peer-to-peer distribution and transparent, tokenized economics so that creators can own reach completely.
What centralized algorithms optimize and why they are important
For the past 15 years, video streaming has been rebuilt with the recommended system. YouTube’s watchtime algorithm has pioneered the model. Netflix has refined it with big data analytics to maximize mass viewing. Tiktok, Instagram reels and YouTube shorts completed it by capturing all the microinteractions, including swipe, pose, skip, and more as inputs to optimize retention.
This accuracy is costly. The algorithms are now actively shaping user preferences. Behavioral studies show that viewing habits for repeated exposure and reward cycle status. Content no longer seeks depth or creativity. It favors engagement rules, sensational hooks over subtle storytelling.
Creator Influence: Burnout and Homogenization
For creators, the algorithm acts as a gatekeeper. Success depends on originality and on compliance with opaque signals, such as hook length, rhythm posting, and retention thresholds. Research shows that the pressure to “regenerate the feed” promotes widespread burnout.
In the 2022 AWIN/SHAREASALE CREATOR BURNOUT REPORT, it was found that 72% of creators experienced burnout, which was directly linked to the demands of the algorithm. Respondents reported loss of joy in creativity, stylistic content strategies, and decline in happiness.
The economic impact is equally severe. Armed with IP-driven franchises, large studios dominate the distribution of platforms, with middle class creators struggling with visibility. Quantity pays off more than quality, leading to a homogenized landscape where there is limited room for experimentation.
AI content “slop” and policy
The next stress test is from the Generating AI. Composite video, audio and images can now be mass-produced at near-zero costs, threatening to flood feed with undifferentiated “slops.” Wired analysts warn that the volume risks human creators being owned.
Regulators are paying attention. The EU AI method introduces transparency and transparency requirements for synthetic content. Therefore, platforms like Tiktok and YouTube face surveillance over recommendations. In the US, the discussion of the sale of Tiktok has emphasized that the distribution of algorithms has become as geopolitical as it is cultural.
Without clear curation, there are two risks. The creator loses sight, and the viewer faces a disrupting signal-to-noise ratio.
How P2P + Tokens Change Mathematics: Three Levers for the Sustainable Creator Economy
A platform optimized for retention. The current challenge is optimizing ownership. The combination of peer-to-peer infrastructure with tokenized incentives allows for restructuring of distribution, monetization and governance about a foundation that prioritizes creator resilience.
Distributions have already been rethinked through distributed protocols like LivePeer, which reduces dependence on centralized servers and feeds. Community-run nodes handle video computations and eliminate opaque ranking systems that determine visibility on traditional platforms.
Monetization has shifted through platforms such as Audius, where artists receive direct payments to artists from fans. Token Incentives align compensation with authentic community engagement rather than ad-driven clock times.
Governance is also a change in a distributed system, where token-weighted voting and community curation play a role in shaping discovery and moderation. This moves the power from one-sided platform decisions to shared governance.
Released in Argentina in 2016, Flixxo shows how this model can be extended to tokengate releases. That ticket 3.0 NFT has enabled community-funded access to Filmbull Run. This experiment highlights both potential points and friction points. While new funding models have proven possible, scalability, onboarding and regulatory clarity remains a challenge for Web3 streaming.
Towards a sustainable creator economy
The future of the creator economy depends on continuing to optimize short-term engagement or rebuilding systems that prioritize ownership and creative depth.
If distribution and revenue primitives remain centralized, creators continue to modify the feed rather than create for people. However, decentralising the rail allows creators to regain autonomy, allowing viewers to discover content beyond algorithms, and storytelling can regain its cultural significance.
If the last decade is related to engineering engagement, then the next must be related to engineering ownership.
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