Staggering 57% of Gen Z aspire to be influencers — but burned-out TikTok stars say 7 day-a-week job is ‘constant’

Being a TikTok star may seem like a breeze, but it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, some stressed-out social media sensations say.

More than half of Gen Zers want to be an influencer — 57% to be exact, according to a 2023 survey of 1,000 Zoomers — but content creators caution it’s not as lax as it seems.

“It’s just constant, Monday through Sunday,” TikTokker Hannah Williams told CNBC. “From the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, the internet’s on, so you’re on as well.”

The 27-year-old runs the popular account Salary Transparent Street, which boasts 1.4 million followers. After quitting her job in 2022 to pursue content creation full-time, Williams now rakes in a sizable $125,000 — but at what cost?

She told the outlet that her days start at 8 a.m. with editing, planning and responding to emails, then takes calls with clients between noon and 3 p.m. Despite a break between 4 and 6 p.m., she’s back to work for the remainder of the evening “until midnight,” she said.

Similarly, 22-year-old lifestyle creator Caroline Lasher says she works from 8 a.m. until at least 10 p.m., bringing home around $10,000 per month as a full-time content creator.

“I’m my own photographer, videographer and I edit everything myself,” she told CNBC, adding that she tries to post every day. “So when I go out, I’ll usually have my tripod and I’ll look at public locations that I can take pictures at.”

Her influencing job, she said, is “so hard to walk away from” because “it’s on your phone and everyone’s on their phone all the time.” But she can’t take a break despite the “burnout.”

“I feel like not being active is going to hurt me,” she said.

Some successful creators have even fallen out of love with their former passion for content creation.

Caspar Lee, for one, still boasts more than 6 million followers on his YouTube channel despite no longer posting content. In 2019, he decided he “didn’t love the process as much as I used to” and stepped away, he told CNBC.

Now, the 30-year-old is focused on other projects, like creating a talent management company and a venture capital firm.

“It’s hard,” Lee said of content creation, addressing those currently in the industry. “So my advice would be do something you enjoy doing, even if no one’s watching.”