Freelancers vs. Creators vs. Gig workers

As explained in the talk European Freelancers & Where to Find Them, independent professionals don’t like to be called “gig workers”, and only few are engaged in the so-called creator economy.

What sets freelancing apart is also nicely explained in Benek Lisefski’s insightful article titled I'm not a “creator” or “gig-worker”—I’m a freelancer.

Benek first outlines the well-known flaws of the gig economy (Platform lock-in; Mirage of flexibility; Linear pay and limited growth; Not a passionate career choice). Then he does the same for the creator economy (You’re at the mercy of algorithms and virality; Hamster wheel burn-out; Inconsistent income; Great for extroverts, not so much for introverts).

He observes that “freelancing is way more than gig-working, and it doesn’t require content creation or growing an audience. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years, and it’s the best career in the world.”

Finally, he points out huge upsides of independent freelancing (Maximum flexibility; No reliance on platforms; Avoid the attention economy; Unlimited earning potential; Ultimate job security), and concludes:

“Being self-employed will never go out of style. No matter how many ’new economies’ they announce, we’ll keep doing our thing and making our money, not caring how much attention we get.”

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