Newcastle content creator Georgia McCudden has grown up online. She knows a thing or two about what makes it tick.
From making funny videos for tweens and teens as a 13-year-old to exploring modern dating, the now 25-year-old's followers have been with her every step of the way.
Unsurprisingly, Georgia has an opinion about children and their access to social media, although you might be surprised at what she has to say.
A MODERN LOVE STORY
Sounds Like You, a new Audible release written by Alyce Adams, follows two young Aussies as they navigate the world of modern dating and dating apps.
Georgia, formerly known as Georgia Productions, narrates the voice of Penny Jane, a university student burnt out from dating and determined to find true love, in the new rom-com audiobook.
Putting her engineering degree to the test, Penny creates a new dating app focusing entirely on audio connections called WAVES. To bring the app to life, she needs to team up with a fellow student, Sebastian (narrated by Oliver Mills of TikTok fame), which is when the real adventure begins.
As if dating isn't difficult enough, an Australian study has revealed that potential partners can be turned off by your voice.
According to an Australian Dynata consumer insights panel, 53 per cent of Australians think a person's voice is important for initial attraction. Pitch and tone matter, we're told, with 28 per cent of respondents drawn to "soft and gentle" voices, like Matthew McConaughey's.
Forty-six per cent believe a person's voice can reveal their personality, and 25 per cent of women tend to send voice notes as soon as they match with someone.
Modern dating is not only more than skin deep, it's complicated.
''From ghosting and situationships to break ups, Sounds Like You explores the rollercoaster of modern dating, emphasising the importance of forming genuine connections, beyond appearances," Audible's head of regional content Karen Appathurai-Wiggins says.
"This launch is particularly special as it's the first time in Audible Australia's history that we've cast social creators.
"It has been a great experience, and we are pleased to have further grown our local creator community."
Georgia, who grew up in the Lake Macquarie suburb of Eleebana and still lives in the area, has more than 2 million followers across several social media platforms. She has accrued more than 300 million total views across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, establishing herself as one of Australia's leading online creators.
She began her YouTube channel when she was 13, creating quirky, relatable content that focused on the humorous side of everyday life, and is a Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards winner.
She continues to amuse her followers with her observational comedy today, but as she has grown up, so too has her sense of humour ... and that of her loyal followers.
Georgia has also branched out to podcasting and hosts the Spotify Original podcast Gee Thanks with her sister Lily Grace.
"I am used to acting by myself, in my videos, but the audiobook was more like narrating," she says.
"It was challenging but it was really cool to do something different.
"Oliver was great, awesome to work with, and very encouraging when I was messing up lines."
Georgia studied drama in her final years at high school and completed a six-week acting course but, as is the case with her video editing skills, she is otherwise self-taught.
Does she prefer finding out how to do things her own way, I ask?
"I've never really thought about it but I guess that is the case, now that you say it that way," she replies.
"I'd love to get into acting, and I will be seeking that out in the future."
A NEW PLATFORM
The social media landscape has changed dramatically since I last spoke to Georgia in 2019. But she has her finger on the pulse and has rolled with the changes.
"I left YouTube. I had to," she says.
"I'm now pursuing short-form content on TikTok and Instagram because, unfortunately, that's where everyone is at the moment.
"The rise of short-form content has not destroyed it, but has really put a dampener on long-form content and how it performs."
TikTok content, for example, is dominated by short-form video content which is 30 seconds to one minute in length. Short, sharp and easily digested.
Another noticeable change, she says, is the speed with which short-form content creators can make a name for themselves online.
"It used to be something that you worked towards over a number of years, but now you can almost accidentally create a career for yourself overnight," she says.
"It's not a negative thing, it's kinda cool, but for people like me who have been here for such a long time it can feel over-saturated after a while.
"Every now and then you feel like you're screaming into a void because there are just so many voices now."
And the longevity of these careers?
"They don't always last long, no," she says.
"Honestly, every time I leave the house I get stopped by people. Sometimes I do wish I could leave the house and look like crap and not be recognised, but it's not a big deal, especially when I have all these awesome opportunities that come with it.
"I can't complain."
SAFETY FIRST
When we spoke, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas had just announced his intention to restrict access to social media for children under the age of 14. Teens aged 14 and 15 would also need parental consent to have social media accounts.
The idea has since grown political wings, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hoping to legislate 16 as the minimum age for access to social media. A proposed Bill would require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to ensure fundamental protections are in place.
A statement read: "The Government will ensure young Australians retain access to services that primarily provide education and health services, and work constructively with stakeholders to ensure that only services which meet the strict criteria under eSafety's powers are able to be accessed by children under 16".
Through her content and her social media presence Georgia has, in effect, grown up online. Her parents monitored her accounts closely. But not all parents do.
"I was 13 when I started, but for 13-year-olds these days, it's a whole new world, a whole new algorithm," she says.
"I will say that although there are still dangers online, it's gotten so much better. It's a lot safer for teenagers these days.
"But it's not a place for a child, and back when I started it was, in a way, a lot more innocent. There weren't as many people on there, there weren't as many pop-up links to websites.
"Growing up on social media, I know the types of people who are out there. It can be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time."
Georgia's parents moderated and monitored comments on her content, told her never to reveal her last name or her age, and prohibited her from sharing photos or videos showing the front of their family home.
"The biggest advice I have, if you have a kid who wants to start on social media, try to talk them out of it because they will probably change their mind in a few years, and you honestly don't know who's watching," she says.
"If they really want to do it and they've got a talent for it, encourage it, but make sure you monitor everything, like everything ... look their name up online, see where their stuff is popping up on other places, places like Reddit, which can be a horrible place but I don't want to get into that.
"Parents might post innocent videos of their kids but they can end up in the hands of the wrong people if they're not careful."
THE ONLINE DEBATE
Georgia is in favour of introducing an age limit for children on social media.
"I honestly think it's a great idea. I really think social media is not a place for a child aged 10 to 13 or younger," she says.
"They should be outside, playing with their friends, watching cartoons. They shouldn't be on social media. There's nothing for them there.
"Because they're still children and their brains are still developing, they easily get influenced by the things that they see and they start to think that these things are normal even though it's not catering for their age."
She cites, as an example, expensive skincare. Mothers of daughters, especially those who have to borrow their daughter's "fancy" moisturisers, will know exactly what she's referring to.
"It sounds like an innocent thing but to me it's totally weird," Georgia says.
"Children are getting into skincare at a younger and younger age, and I think it's a little bit sad. If you're 10, you shouldn't be excited about a moisturiser, you should be excited about, I don't know, a Barbie doll or making slime.
"You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on this expensive skincare that is actually really bad for their skin at such a young age.
"Banning kids from marketing like that might not be a bad thing. Social media is not a place for kids and it doesn't serve kids."
I ask if she would have done anything different, looking back on her content-creating career to date.
"No. When I started I was on YouTube and not on social media, if that makes sense," she says.
"Although it's a social media of some kind, it's not like TikTok, it's not like what we've got now.
"YouTube is probably the safest one out there when it comes to restrictions and guidelines, and you can monitor it really well.
"TikTok is different. Just wait until you are older to download it. It's not going anywhere."
THE FUTURE
Georgia will continue to create content and share it online as long as she finds joy in it.
And, of course, as long as she continues to find inspiration.
"Creativity comes in bursts. It always has," she says.
"There are weeks when I have absolutely no ideas and I feel hopeless, think I'm not good at this, I'm burnt out, ask myself why am I still doing this, and then there are times on the flip side where I have all these great ideas and I'm like 'Right, let's make something!'.
"I'm always finding something different to make a video about and the day that I can't find anything will be the day I stop."
Or someone else will create a character that she can portray as an actor in her own right?
"Yeah, exactly. In this day and age it's more a case of who you know, or that's what I've been told. You still have to do auditions and those sort of things, but it's good to get your foot in the door," Georgia says.
"And I still have my audience. They have been one of the most engaged and loyal group that I've ever seen.
"They've been so sweet and they really have grown up with me. They were a bit younger than me when I started so now they are around 16 to 23, I guess.
"They're still growing up with me and enjoying my content and as my humour changed, their humour changed.
"I like to compare it to the Harry Potter series, where adults will still read those books because they grew up with them, and the stories matured as they matured."
