Digital creators and influencers, here are the 25,000 companies that live and earn with social media

YouTubers, tiktokers, influencers and video makers. They are by no means a hobby, but new economic activities. To be exact, 25 thousand throughout Italia, who have transformed digital skills and creativity into structured productive realities. This is highlighted by the research conducted by InfoCamere in collaboration with the University of Padua, from which, among other things, emerges a distribution without too many rifts between the different geographical areas of the country: the North West collects 30.2% of companies (7,681), the Centre 26.9% (6,834), the South and Islands 27.9% (7,103) and the North East 15.0% (3,811).

As the research notes, between 2015 and 2024 the number of digital content creators grew by 185%, from around 9 thousand to over 25 thousand companies. The increase was mainly from companies operating directly in the areas of audiovisual production, digital marketing and online platform management. Then there are also the 'hybrid' companies, i.e. those integrating content creation into traditional sectors such as fashion, tourism, fitness and consulting. Here too, the increase is impressive, as they have more than doubled (+155%).

A turning point was the 2020-2021 period: in practice, Covid accelerated the demand for online communication content and services, opening up new market opportunities. And the growth has been continuous.

The territorial distribution, as anticipated, does not show excessive differences. Milan confirms its role as the national digital hub with over 3,800 enterprises (15% of the total), but new realities emerge alongside the traditional poles, such as Puglia, Sicily and Campania, where digital content has become a tool for territorial promotion and identity narration. The profile of these enterprises conveys the image of a young and dynamic sector. Over 80% of the companies have been in business for less than 10 years, compared to 60% of the control sample made up of traditional companies in the same sector. The directors have a median age of 48-49 years, around 6 years less than the national average, with a strong presence of under 40s and, in the core companies, also under 30s.

As reported in the note issued by Infocamere, there is also a slightly higher share of women administrators (27.6% in hybrids, against 26.3% in control companies). This is a figure that should be read with greater entrepreneurial accessibility in a sector where entry barriers are lower: no large capital is needed, but digital competence, creativity and the ability to build online communities.