The Internet is the universal equalizer. Your momma, Drake, Jay Versace, and Mariah Carey all share something in common: they all own a smartphone. And with internet access and a free social media account of their choosing, they’re able to use said account to amplify any message of their choosing. For Drake, it may be a new viral dance. For Mariah Carey, it may be a Tik Tok challenge complete with classic high notes. For your momma, it might be sharing some weird conspiracy theories to her 200 Facebook friends. With the rise of social media, now all of a sudden the content creator holds just as much if not more influence than a huge media company. It’s why you see brands like Paper Magazine consistently putting social media influencers on their covers or news channels trying to adopt AAVE to appeal to their millennial Twitter audience.

Content creators, the smart ones at least, understand that in order to sell a product or service online they’ll have to first create a community of people that believe so strongly that they’re willing to wear it across their chest or flip through it in their hands. Now some people stumble across an audience. They take a tumble, we laugh. They twerk, we applaud. Others take a more calculated approach. They strategize schedule posts, and push out as much content as possible. But how do you do both? How do you create a community online that feels organic? How do you create content that will resonate with that audience? How do you make $$$ off of said audience even if you don’t have huge numbers? We spoke with Tech-Anthropologist, Alex Wolf for some insight on how to take a follower and turn them into an active, BUYING, a participant in your lil’ internet world.

Who are you? What do you do? Why do you do it?

I’m a tech-anthropologist which means I study and speak about the intersection of technology, culture, creativity, and economics. I do this because I’m fascinated by the relationship a society has with its technology. That’s why I founded Creative Business School because I think in a time like today it’s so important for creatives to empower themselves financially through the use of technology.

Walk us through a day in the life of a tech anthropologist?

Every day is different but it stays within the lines of consulting for my corporate clients or giving my input to academic institutions. For example, a few weeks ago I met with Stanford's division of artificial intelligence and human-centered design to discuss theories on the future of technology.

In your book, “Resonate,” you say “As a person who’s trying to build an audience, you need to know what people are replacing that human connection with because it will matter to you.” In your opinion what are people replacing that human connection with?

The real answer is brands. Specifically, our identity, but leveraging the use of our identity to be articulated through brands.

What do people get wrong about the ~Internet ~ ?

They get a lot of things wrong. I would say the big one is that there’s such a thing as “offline.” I made a whole video on YouTube explaining why conceptualizing the internet as an offline/online experience is what’s responsible for all the shitty tech we’ve been using.

What is Creative Business School? What void are you looking to fill?

Creative Business School is an online learning platform designed to empower and educate creatives on why they should stop trying to get rich by having a million followers and why they should sell their own signature product instead. I believe the future of digital creators will be people who make most of their money through the ownership of their own product NOT through ads. Creative Business School walks creatives through the process of developing their own product to sell to their audience.

We even have an “audience calculator” to guide you on how much extra you could be making if you converted even just 1% of your audience. You can take it here. Every time a creative takes it, they’re always in shock about what’s possible for them.

Who are some creators that, in your opinion, understand how to use tech to amplify and monetize their gift?

I think my favorite example is actress and comedian, B. Simone. I’ve been following her since she got started in 2014, and from what I understand, she was just a broke creative with wifi and a dream. She recently just uploaded a birthday video of her celebrating officially becoming a millionaire. And it’s all because she invested in her personal brand and merchandising it with her signature product which is her really dope lip gloss line.