NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The digital economy has revolutionised how we interact, and the creator economy — a thriving ecosystem of online content creators, including influencers, bloggers and videographers — is at the forefront of this change. According to Linktree, a tool used by many content creators to grow and monetize their online presence, there were already over 200 million creators worldwide as of 2022. This underscores the creative industry’s dual role: Not only does it provide entertainment, but it also serves as a critical source of employment and income, especially for younger generations. And its impact in emerging economies is growing.

In 2025, the influencer marketing industry’s estimated global revenue reached US $32.55 billion — more than triple its size in 2020 — and emerging markets are seeing similar growth. For instance, in South Africa, ad spending in the influencer marketing industry is expected to reach US $30.23 million this year, providing opportunities for local influencers to grow their audiences and earnings. In Indonesia, the social commerce industry (in which influencer marketing plays a critical role) is projected to grow to $5.25 billion by 2025, with the country’s 143 million social media users offering a vast potential audience. And in India, the influencer marketing industry is experiencing 18% compound annual growth. This global momentum has significant social implications, as influencer work becomes an increasingly viable career for many young people in countries around the world.

Web Monetization: A Game-Changer for Content Creators

The industry’s growth is creating valuable income-generating opportunities in various emerging markets. And alongside traditional monetization models for influencer marketing, like paid-for deals, subscriptions and advertising revenue — as offered by platforms like Ko-fi and Patreon — alternative earning routes are emerging. For instance, Web Monetization — a “pay-as-you-use” approach that streams small, real-time payments from site visitors directly to creators and content owners — enables a broad range of micropayment models that allow creators to monetize their content in new ways. These models range from micropayments that unlock access to specific pieces of content, to engagement-based payments, a token-based system for rewarding audience engagement and participation.

Engagement-based payments allow creators to receive micropayments (often made via cryptocurrency) based on user engagement metrics, such as time spent viewing or interacting with their content. This approach differs from traditional subscription or membership models, as users don’t need to explicitly subscribe to an influencer’s channel, or make payments to creators through the social media platforms they typically leverage. Website visitors with this functionality enabled in their browsers can send micropayments directly to a creator’s website. While users without Web Monetization enabled can still access a creator’s site, some creators may choose to limit premium content or offer exclusive material only to users who contribute micropayments through this technology.

Engagement-based payments, which can be facilitated through various technologies and platforms, differ from transactions made through traditional payment systems like credit or debit cards: While traditional systems often rely on intermediaries, resulting in delays and fees, engagement-based payments enable direct, peer-to-peer transactions between creators and their audience. This approach allows influencers to build a more direct financial relationship with supporters and receive rewards for their content in real time.

Like other models based on Web Monetization, engagement-based payments offer a flexible, pay-as-you-use alternative that avoids the downsides of traditional paywalls: For example, they sidestep the need to charge higher subscription fees, which are paid up front and cover a broader selection of content that might not align with the interests and budgets of many users in emerging markets. By allowing these users to support local creators’ content more specifically and directly, Web Monetization can potentially democratise the creator economy, providing opportunities for marginalised communities and underrepresented voices to participate as both creators and consumers of content.

The Benefits of Web Monetization for Content Creators and Audiences

Web Monetization offers several benefits for both content creators and their audiences, including:

• Immediate, direct income: Traditional subscriptions may offer subscribers immediate access to content, but the payment structure for creators can be less direct, in the sense that payments often go through social media platforms or other intermediaries, which take a percentage — and it’s not always clear how much of a subscription fee actually reaches the creator. Additionally, one downside for subscribers is that they typically pay a flat fee, regardless of their engagement with the content or the value they obtain from it. Engagement-based payments aim to address these limitations by providing a more direct and transparent way for audiences to support creators, with payments tied to users’ interactions and engagement with specific pieces of content.
• Sustainable micro-contributions: Web Monetization enables a steady stream of small payments over time, allowing creators to receive ongoing support from their audience. Unlike subscriptions, which often require a recurring fixed payment, micro-contributions can be more flexible and organic, allowing supporters to contribute when they find particular value in a piece of content, or when they interact with the creator. This approach can provide a more sustainable income stream for creators, as it’s tied to the value they provide and the engagement they generate.
• Transparency: Web Monetization provides a level of transparency that’s more granular and immediate than that of traditional subscriptions, allowing supporters to see exactly how their micropayments are being used in real time. Through browser extensions or plugins, supporters can access detailed breakdowns of fees and creator earnings, providing them with insight into the financial flow and fostering trust between creators and their audience. This transparency can lead to stronger relationships and increased loyalty, as supporters gain a clearer understanding of how their contributions are being utilised

How Content Creators and Their Audiences Can Use Web Monetization

Research shows that audiences are willing to support creators they trust, who produce high-quality content that resonates with them. Key factors influencing an audience’s willingness to pay include:

• Trust and credibility: believing in the creator’s expertise and authenticity.
• Emotional attachment: feeling a strong emotional connection to the creator or their content.
• Perceived value: seeing value in the content or benefits received.
• Social proof: being influenced by others’ support or endorsements.
• Reciprocity: wanting to reciprocate for the value received from the creator.
• Scarcity and urgency: feeling motivated by limited-time offers or exclusive content.
• Personalisation: receiving content or benefits tailored to individual interests.
• Social identity: identifying with the creator’s values, community or brand.

To start using Web Monetization to receive payments, content creators need an account with a compatible digital wallet provider. The Interledger Foundation offers one such option: Our Interledger Wallet will be available later in 2025 in the U.S., Canada, E.U. and South Africa. Additionally, we’re offering grants of up to $250,000 to help organizations implement this technology and expand their payment options: This funding has a particular focus on emerging economies and aims to bring new players into the Web Monetization ecosystem, helping to build the foundation for more creators to leverage these payments with their own content.

To use this technology to send payments, content consumers must add the Web Monetization extension (available on the Firefox, Safari and Chromium browsers). The extension asks for permission to access a user’s browser tabs and data for all websites. It requires these permissions to check each page the user visits for Web Monetization. Once this permission is established, the extension enables users to:

• Control who, when and how much to pay: All payments to web-monetized sites must be explicitly authorized or pre-authorized by the user. Sites can’t pull payments from a user’s payment account under any circumstance.
• Keep their payments private: Web Monetization doesn’t provide the recipient with personally identifiable information, such as the user’s name, wallet address, IP address or anything else the recipient could use to determine the user’s identity.
• Choose their wallet provider: As long as their chosen wallet provider is compatible with Web Monetization, users can send payments to any web-monetized sites.
• Store their payment details with their wallet: Part of setting up the Web Monetization extension involves linking it to a digital wallet. This link allows the extension to communicate with the user’s wallet without storing sensitive payment details in the extension or in the browser itself.
• Use Web Monetization across different currencies: Part of choosing a compatible digital wallet is selecting one that allows payment in the user’s preferred currency. When the user sends a payment, the recipient will receive it in the currency the user selected when signing up with their compatible wallet provider.
• Avoid separate Web Monetization accounts: The only account users need is the one they create with their wallet provider. They don’t have to create separate accounts for each website they want to pay.

Web Monetization enables immediate, direct income and micro-contributions at a level of transparency that allows content consumers to see exactly where their money is going. Unlike traditional monetization approaches such as subscriptions or memberships, in which fees and revenue streams can be opaque, it provides clarity on exactly how these funds are being used. Its support for multiple currencies also lends itself to a global reach, allowing local influencers to grow their influence beyond their countries’ borders.

The Interledger Foundation is actively working on Web Monetization tools for release in 2025, which will further empower content creators to diversify their revenue streams. As Web Monetization continues to grow, we can expect to see a more equitable and sustainable digital economy, where creators can thrive regardless of their background or location.

Matšeliso Thabane is a project manager at the Interledger Foundation.

Photo credit: RDNE Stock project