The White House is hosting an event to discuss critical issues within the creator community. On August 14, social media professionals will descend on Washington, D.C. for the Creator Economy Conference, which will be led by the Biden administration’s Office of Digital Strategy.
In a message posted on the official White House website, the Biden administration called on creators to apply for access to the upcoming summit. Industry professionals are also invited to attend. Applicants are asked to discuss the nature of their work, share their concerns within the creator economy, and pose two questions they might ask during the conference.
Issues discussed at the conference will include privacy, fair pay, AI, and mental health. The increasingly thorny nature of the influencer career has led to calls for more codified rights among creators. Regulators have also been asked to act on problems like AI deepfakes that affect many different digital professionals.
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The gathering also offers an opportunity to normalize relations between the creator community and the White House. Widespread creator opposition to the U.S. government’s anti-TikTok actions has led to several lawsuits, including a case in Montana and a federal lawsuit that exists alongside TikTok’s own legal challenge.
Even as the Biden administration passes restrictive social media measures into law, it is looking to gather support on TikTok ahead of the 2024 presidential election. To that end, the Creator Economy Conference serves as an olive branch of sorts.
“The conference will foster conversation amongst leaders in the space and provide attendees with the opportunity to make their voices heard by Administration officials,” reads the White House’s application page. “It will also allow members of the Administration to learn from these creators and industry professionals and gain insight on how various issues are impacting their lives to inform policy decisions.”
On the presidential end, the benefits of the Creator Economy Conference are clear. For the social media stars in attendance, expectations will be a bit murkier. The creator economy is now a $250 billion business, so it’s about time that the titular class brought its concerns to the White House. Applications for the conference will be open until July 12.
