Global Dynamics of Digital Platforms: Transforming Creative Industries with Equity and Sustainability

Abstract

We live in an era of unprecedented transformation, driven by digital platforms that are redefining the creation, distribution, and consumption of creative content. The emergence of new digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Patreon has led to new forms of social inequality in the economy, AI ethics, and environmental sustainability. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) enhance content personalization and production efficiency, yet algorithmic opacity and revenue concentration create disparities that favor established creators. This study investigates the impact of digital platforms on creative industries through a qualitative methodology, integrating secondary data from global reports (e.g., UNCTAD, 2022) and case studies of TikTok, Patreon, and emerging Web3 alternatives. Findings highlight both opportunities—such as decentralized revenue models, AI-driven innovation, and regional creative growth—and challenges, including the monopolization of content distribution, ethical dilemmas in AI-generated creativity, and the environmental burden of data centers and blockchain transactions. This study focuses on the impact of Web3 technologies on the reliance of intermediaries while covering contemporary regulations on AI governance and platform responsibility. The study highlights the gap in policy efforts that ensure economic equity, transparency, and platform sustainability that need to be addressed. Suggested policy targets include more humane monetization of smaller creator's content, more responsible AI regulation, and the creation of less environmentally harmful digital systems. This study is situated within the larger discussion of the intersection of innovation, equity, and sustainability in the context of a developing digital creative economy.