It’s a new decade and the internet isn’t what it was 5 years ago. Times have changed and social media has become a tool for stirring up modern-day issues, political and social debates ranging from topics like feminism, LGBT rights and reprimanding of outdated traditional beliefs are common now. Most importantly, social media serves as a platform that “pays bills” for a certain demographic of people known as creatives.
I talked to five creatives making use of social media to widen their reach. The conversation mostly revolved around what roles social apps play in the business of creativity, and how they interact in this new decade.
Social media means a lot of things to me but mainly it means reaching a large audience. Being a YouTuber and content creator, there will be no way to reach my audience without my social media pages that connect me to them. So for me, social media is a way to connect with audience and sell my brand.
Pascal, a YouTuber and content creator who resides in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria.
When asked which other way social media has helped shaped his mindset on some certain conversations, he goes:
“Well social media really gave more light to issues concerning mental health. Being an African, we grow with this idea that mental health issues are for westerners but social media has helped me realise that anyone can go through that, it also helped me tackle some of my own mental obstacles. For instance, I started therapy recently online to control my anxiety. Without social media, I don’t think I would have gotten the help I really needed.”
The next creative I caught up with was Lú, a content creator as well and a fashion stylist who resides in Lagos. Lú’s perspective on social media was sort of similar to Pascal’s:
10 years ago it wasn’t easy for other creatives to get their work across to people without the internet. It’s a powerful tool for creatives and young minds. We get to air our opinions on certain issues, we get information that helps us, get job opportunities for creatives and young minds in other fields, It’s been helpful and been an impact, though it has its disadvantages like trolling, bullying and all sort.
Lú believes social media comes with many disadvantages.
Daniel, popularly known as “That Nollywood Blogger” on Twitter is a Nollywood film critic and blogger. His works are published on platforms including OkayAfrica, Bellanaija, KonbiniNG and more. According to Daniel, “It’s the best way to have a direct reach/engagement with your audience.” He also believes social media has been revolutionary overtime when I questioned him about his take on the notion of how revolutionary social media has been, he says..
“Yes, I think so. It has eliminated the communication boundaries between brands and their customers. There’s now a direct relationship between both parties”.
Vincent Desmond is an LGBT pop culture journalist whose story has been published in numerous internationally acclaimed online publications. As a creative who actively uses social media, he shared his opinion on what these platforms stand for in a whole new decade.
Hidden Gems: Vincent Desmond Isn’t Afraid To Tell The Stories Others Won’t
Social media means what it means to me now what it has always meant: an opportunity to connect with people from my community, from other communities”.
Vincent Desmond.
I also asked him if he thinks certain conversations like feminism, mental health, sexual assault and more have impacted users enough or is there still more that can be done. And he responded with:
I think we can do more. Social media has made it easier for members of marginalized communities to speak up and for people to talk about what used to be deemed ‘taboo’ issues. I think that’s great but I think social media – and social media users – can and show endeavour to do more”.
Ntianu Obiora, a content creator, curator and storyteller was the last creative I spoke with. She has fashion pieces and interviews with the likes of Mai Atafo, Emefa Smith, Pulse and more. Ntianu had quite a lot to share; To her social media means:
Social media means freedom! The freedom of expression and the freedom to grow one’s business as one sees fit. We have the opportunity to wear many hats with social media and expand our knowledge and businesses beyond our wildest dreams”.
NTIANu OBIORA.
In Ntianu’s final words “I want to engage in healthy debates but I refuse to engage with or feed anybody who is clearly dedicated to misunderstanding and misconstruing my words. The beauty of social media, however, is that when it simply comes too much, there are controls in place to protect your online space and I encourage creators to set those boundaries firmly so as not to ruin their online experience and pollute their respective communities”.
