Since the rise of social media, the internet has become a huge part of the political landscape. However, the majority of the House of Representatives seems to be a very offline bunch. As Tubefilter points out, one Representative began one session by asking: “What is Roku, and how is it different from YouTube?”
Needless to say, the lawmakers are out of touch. What they really need is a crash course on internet culture and the creator economy. Now Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) are offering just that.
The purpose of the Congressional Creators Caucus is twofold. It will educate Reps. on all things internet, while also acting as a direct forum for creators.
“As digital content creators’ online presence continues to reach billions globally, Congress must work to ensure resources and protections are in place to support their success in this new era of start-ups,” Clarke said in a press release.
“Congress has a responsibility to meet this moment. That is why I am proud to establish this caucus as a first-of-its-kind bipartisan forum for content creators and Congress to work together to address the challenges they face as nontraditional small business owners. Creators’ voices deserve to be heard throughout the policy-making process, and the Creators Caucus is the key to ensuring they are.”
Who Will Make Up The Congressional Creators Caucus?
The caucus is backed by leading creator platforms, YouTube and Patreon.
It’s also worth noting that this committee isn’t just made up of Reps — creators will also be directly represented. And who better to do that than one of the biggest creators in the world? MatPat, along with his wife Stephanie Patrick, have officially joined the caucus, along with numerous other creators.
“Every congressional district has creator-led businesses. This is not a coastal-cities industry or a middle-America industry, this is everyone,” the Patricks said in that same release. “Many of the issues facing the creator economy also increasingly impact small businesses at large. It is our hope that this Caucus will give lawmakers the opportunity to work closely with creator-led businesses to make sensible, well-informed decisions that will lead to smarter policies.”
Ultimately, we think that the caucus will really shake up the creator economy, but that’s just a theory.
