Lita Goddess of Growth

Tag: Social Media

  • Geographic Pay Gap – The Ryder Cup, Social Media, and The Global Pay Gap: Why Your Location Shouldn’t Limit Your Worth

    I came across an article about The Ryder Cup, and a particular detail caught my eye: the hosts (the US team) are being paid, which is causing some contention. This isn’t just a story about golf; it’s a perfect metaphor for the geographic pay gap—a much larger issue I’ve witnessed firsthand —the stark disparity in how creators and businesses are valued based on their geography.

    Inspirational quote 'Social Change is a Team Effort' on a black background, emphasizing collective action.

    It immediately took me back to my time on social media where I first became aware of the geographic pay gap for creators and TikTok in particular, where it was an open secret that US creators were routinely paid by brands, not all of them but many, while UK creators were often offered little more than “exposure” or, if they were lucky, vouchers, takeaway orders and gifts. The geographic pay gap was a reflection point as I recall a Black British creator sharing his story: brands initially paid him with takeaway meals, which he gifted to friends. When he finally built the confidence to ask for a fee, he was shocked to learn the brand would have paid him ten times more had he only known to ask.

    This isn’t about individual greed; it’s about systemic imbalance. I don’t fully understand the intricate trade deals that allow US-based TikTok shops to sell to the UK but not the other way around. But I do understand the outcome: it creates a two-tier system. The outcome of this is a clear geographic pay gap. And if this is the reality for the UK, consider the even starker inequity for creators in Africa and the Caribbean.. who may have no access to monetisation features at all, forcing them to be exceptionally creative in forging direct brand deals.

    The news that the US version of TikTok is potentially becoming a separate entity might be a good thing for the UK and Europe. It could force a re-evaluation, a chance to build our own frameworks for fair compensation.

    So, what’s the lesson for us?

    The core issue is that we often accept the value the market appears to place on us, without questioning the structure of the market itself. The British creator with the vouchers didn’t know his true worth because the system wasn’t designed to tell him.

    This is a critical topic I want to explore within the Sovren Collective and my one-to-one consultancy. How do we navigate this uneven playing field?

    • How do you price your services when you know a US-based peer might charge ten times more for the same work?
    • How do you negotiate with brands that have different budgets for different regions and even groups of people?
    • How do you build a sustainable business that isn’t at the mercy of a platform’s geopolitics?

    For my own podcast, this is a vital reflection. Monetisation cannot be an afterthought based on flawed models. It must be a strategic decision rooted in an understanding of my value and my audience’s value, regardless of where we are on the map.

    The goal is not to replicate the US model, but to create a fair one of our own that finally closes the geographic pay gap. It starts with a conversation, with sharing knowledge, and with refusing to accept that our postcode should determine our price tag.

    This systemic imbalance is not new; it has been happening in workplaces for years. This is precisely why governments and unions have long attempted to encourage pay transparency—the sharing of salary data across characteristics like sex, age, and race—to dismantle discrimination.

    In the virtual, globalised world of digital creation, we lack those formal structures. This is where coming together in a collective becomes vital. The Sovren Collective presents the opportunity to share knowledge and understand best practice in a virtual space that is ever-evolving. It is our way of creating the transparency and mutual support needed to navigate an uneven playing field.

    This is the work of building a sovereign business. And it’s work we must do together.

  • Breaking Free: My Social Media Disillusionment

    Social Media Disillusionment: Why I Chose to Build Beyond the Algorithm | Lita Goddess of Growth

    Experiencing social media disillusionment? Lita Goddess of Growth shares her journey from chasing algorithmic reach to building authentic community through podcasts and owned platforms. Find your way back to genuine connection.

    Breaking Free: My Social Media Disillusionment

    The seductive promise of social media—build your brand, expand your reach, connect with an international audience—often masks a more complicated reality. After years of dedicated platform engagement, I’ve come to understand the profound disconnect between social media’s marketed potential and its actual impact on genuine business growth. This is my story of social media disillusionment and the conscious pivot towards sovereign building.

    When I first joined TikTok, I envisioned it as a gateway to new audiences for my coaching practice and product offerings. Instead, I discovered my content consistently funnelled to viewers in countries where my UK-specific services weren’t relevant. Despite investing countless hours in livestreams, content creation, and community engagement, the algorithmic segregation of users into demographic “hubs” prevented the very connections I sought to establish. I was building a following, but not a community; I was generating content, but not authentic connection.

    The Empty Metric: When 1000 Followers Equals Zero

    Most striking was my realisation upon leaving the platform: of the thousand followers I’d accumulated, there wasn’t a single one I genuinely missed. Those who became true friends had already exchanged contact details outside the app, highlighting the profound difference between platform metrics and authentic relationships.

    This experience crystallises a crucial truth: a number on a screen is not an asset you own. It is a metric you are renting. This explains why micro-influencers often generate more meaningful engagement than accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers—they’ve cultivated genuine connection beyond algorithm-driven interactions. Their value is rooted in trust, not in a volatile follower count. This is the core of social media disillusionment—the realisation that you have been tending a garden on someone else’s land, and you cannot take the harvest with you.

    The Mirage of Monetisation

    The monetisation story proves equally sobering. While we occasionally hear about creators earning tens of thousands from viral content, the reality for most involves minimal returns despite significant time investments. The platform’s structure encourages a constant churn of content, rewarding consistency over depth and virality over value. I met fellow UK creators who appeared successful, with polished content and engaged comments, only to learn in private conversations that they were making modest amounts after extended periods of consistent effort. Many were trapped in a cycle of creating free content in the hope that it would eventually lead to a sustainable income, a hope that for most remains a mirage.

    This system creates what I call algorithmic anxiety—the constant, low-grade stress of wondering if your next post will be seen, if the rules have changed, or if your primary source of visibility will be taken away. It’s an exhausting way to build a business.

    The Pivot to Ownership: Building a Sovereign Network

    Having stepped away from traditional social platforms, I’m now focused on building connection through more direct channels. This podcast is one of them—a space where conversations can be deep and meandering, reaching listeners across the globe organically, without being forced into a demographic box by an algorithm.

    The other channel is the development of a sovereign community. This is a dedicated space, a membership website where people can share skills through peer-to-peer coaching, collaborate on projects, and build relationships without algorithmic interference. It’s a space where the value is determined by the members, not by a platform’s engagement metrics. This is the antidote to social media disillusionment: taking back control.

    In this space, which I am building within the Sovren Collective, the goal isn’t virality. The goal is collaborative growth. It’s about building a network where your success amplifies mine, and vice versa. It’s a slower, more intentional path, but it leads to a foundation made of solid ground, not shifting sand.

    Your Journey Beyond Disillusionment

    My story is not unique. Many of you reading this will have felt the same friction—the nagging sense that your effort isn’t yielding the results you were promised. The feeling that you are shouting into a void that only occasionally echoes back.

    If this resonates, I encourage you to ask yourself:

    • How much of my energy is spent trying to please an algorithm versus serving my actual audience?
    • Do I own the relationship with my followers, or does the platform?
    • What could I build if I redirected that energy into an asset I control?

    Breaking free from social media disillusionment isn’t about abandoning online connection. It’s about redefining it. It’s about choosing to build a home for your community, rather than renting a room in a crowded, noisy, and unpredictable hostel.

    Share your own social media experience in the comments section on here or on the Empowerment Diaries®️ podcast. Let’s talk about the reality behind the highlight reel and support each other in building something more sustainable.

    ✨ If you’re ready to explore building beyond the algorithm, learn more about the community we’re creating in the [Sovren Collective].

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