I think there's a bit of a misconception about firstly how much money they make, and secondly, how much work it actually takes. Tiktok pays fuck all, so you basically need a full time operation behind the scenes to get brand deals to make it worthwhile. Youtube pays more, but also typically requires more work on the content, because it's longer form and people expect better quality.
But one thing that Tiktok and Instagram show is just how much of life is based entirely on looks. You scroll through stories and see people doing all sorts of creative stuff. People who have spent hours perfecting a dance, or creating a little comedy sketch. Then some hot girl shows up and literally just stands in front of the camera smiling and spinning around, and bang, 4 million followers. But you still watch so they show you more.