In 2022, Forbes Magazine named public figures Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina as The Sultans of Content. This title was given to Raffi Ahmad because he is considered one of the creators who built popularity and income through various digital platforms.

The choice to become a content creator also grew with the rise in popularity of TikTok during the pandemic. As confirmed by Remitly’s digital research, which analyzed Google searches for the topic ‘dream or ideal jobs,’ Indonesians cited YouTuber as the most desired profession. The survey was conducted from October 2021 to October 2022.

Many young creators began to gain popularity, find alternative sources of income, and achieve wealth through the content they shared. The imagination of becoming famous and earning money quickly on digital platforms shapes the aspirations of Indonesian youth growing up in digital life.

The Allure of the Internet in Eliminating Boredom

In the ethnographic research conducted in Jakarta by Youthlab in April 2024, interviews with young content creators on TikTok, RF (20) with 445,000 followers, and young Indonesian musician SN (23), whose song has been played 92,000 times on digital music platforms, revealed various feelings of boredom among Indonesian youth.

SH, a Gen Z musician, chose to release their songs on digital platforms like TikTok and Spotify when they experienced boredom during the pandemic. Similarly, FH, a popular TikTok content creator, revealed that boredom was the initial reason for starting to create content.