Do You Need a VPN? The Pros and Cons for Digital Content Creators
Digital content creation has exploded as a sector in the last few years. With the increasing popularity of TikTok and Instagram’s pivot towards video, more and more people engage in making videos, taking great photos, and writing relevant articles.
In fact, the digital content creation industry is expected to grow by 9.5% between 2022 and 2027, reaching a market value of over $24 billion. It’s a serious business, and creators need the right tools to get the job done – no matter where in the world they’re based.
A key tool you may be considering as a digital content creator is a VPN. There’s a lot of information about them, but how does that relate to your work? In this article, we’re going to delve into:
- What a VPN does;
- The benefits of using a VPN as a digital creator;
- The drawbacks of a VPN for content creators.
Photo by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden on Unsplash
What does a VPN do?
A VPN, or virtual private network, makes your internet connection private and secure, no matter where you access the internet from.
When you connect your phone, computer, or tablet to the internet through a VPN creates a tunnel from your computer to its servers. From here, you’re connected to the internet, putting a screen between your device and the content you browse.
Websites and apps will see your location as the VPN server location rather than where you’re connecting from. A good, secure VPN will also encrypt the data sent and received through the internet.
What are the pros of using a VPN as a digital content creator?
Creating digital content is more than simply taking great-looking videos or writing enticing words. You have to research, curate, and edit your content before it even gets to being published. Here’s how a VPN can help with that.
Localize you search
Whether you live the digital nomad lifestyle creating content or simply work for clients in different countries, you need to target your work and research.
Say you’re based in Lisbon, but your client is in Singapore, for example. The type of content people want will be different in these locations, so you should use a VPN to find what people in Singapore are searching for.
Secure your connection
Content creation can be a solitary task, so you’ve probably found yourself doing some work in cafes or co-working spots. These connections aren’t as secure as your home network, and people can see what you’re up to.
Keep your content safe from prying eyes, and use a VPN when you surf on public internet connections.
Avoid speed throttling
When you choose an internet service provider, you should check if they will throttle your speeds. This is really important for digital creators – you’ll find yourself uploading and downloading a lot of videos and images regularly, and you won’t want to lose speed.
If you do find yourself on a connection that slows you down due to heavy use, a VPN can help you get around that by changing the location of where you browse.
Are there cons to using a VPN as a digital content creator?
Along with being super useful as a creator, a VPN isn’t always a silver bullet to all your internet issues. Here are some things you’ll want to consider before you invest in a VPN.
Speed issues
While a VPN can get around ISP (internet service provider) throttling, they do have their own limitations. Rather than connecting from your device to the website directly, you’re sending your request through a different server, and that increased distance for your data to travel slows it down a little. However, reputable VPN providers can help you achieve quite the opposite. Since sometimes your IPS may intentionally limit your speed, using a VPN will allow you to overcome this.
Costs
The best-quality VPNs cost money. There are free ones around, but they tend to have slower speeds, and you get less control over the location you connect through — meaning it’s harder to localize your research, for example.
It can be classed as a business expense though, so consider this when filing your taxes or discussing VPNs with your employer.
Data security
Some VPNs will use tracking software within their service. This means that everything you do when you’re connected through the VPN is logged by the company and potentially sold. Not every VPN does this; you can see if the one you’re considering does by checking the terms of service.
Should a digital content creator use a VPN?
Digital creators need to work fast, safely, and when they’re on the go. A VPN can enable all of these, and when you choose the right one, the drawbacks will be few compared to the security and speed benefits you can see.