The Star E-dition

Influencers praise social media

THABO MAKWAKWA thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za

THE social media revolution has just begun and its use has become one of the most popular online activities. According to Statista Research Department, it was discovered that in 2020, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide, projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion in 2025.

With unemployment rocketing and governments failing to create jobs and opportunities for the youth, social media can provide much-needed income for young people, who each day spend hours there.

The Daily News spoke to some of the most influential social media content producers and influencers, who have taken advantage of the revolution in the digital media space and used the platform to generate income.

Social media influencer Daniel Marven, known on Twitter as @danielmarven, said the youth had a chance to use social media as a tool that could

eradicate unemployment.

He said social media was now a platform where big brands were advertising their products using social media accounts with huge followings.

“Instead of having to wait for some of the favourite television programmes to air, big brands advertise their products on social media and it’s quite a bit cheaper than traditional advertising where billboards, radio, and television are used.

“More clients don’t have time to go through the normal processes of advertising, so it’s important to evolve with time and introduce new ways of doing things. Young people with ideas must understand that the content they produce on social media can be paid for if due processes are followed, and they monetise their content.”

He added: “Everyone in every corner should familiarise themselves with social media, and take advantage of the opportunities.”

Twenty-year-old Oriphulusa Nyadzhiwa, known as @Ori_DeBig_ Beats on Twitter, is one of the most famous influencers on social media. Nyadzhiwa emphasised that social media provided a chance to fight the effects of unemployment through various promotions and campaigns from brands.

“To be part of individuals who are eligible to make extra money using social media, you must possess something that you will be posting on your social media pages regularly, that will attract a lot of people, and make them follow and engage, which will also result in the growth of your influence.

“As the influence grows, some brands start to notice you and approach you to be their ambassador or to perform tasks for a specific amount of money. Sometimes you send direct messages to these brands to propose your ideas of working with them.

“Another quick way to use social media as a source of money is to have profiles at third-party platforms like theSALT, Webfluential, Humanz app, indaHash, and other popular platforms to make money just from posting and tweeting,” said Nyadzhiwa.

The report by Statista Research Department showed social media was an integral part of daily internet use. On average, internet users spend 144 minutes a day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of more than half an hour since 2015.

“Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass a billion registered accounts and currently boasts close to 2.5 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social network worldwide. In June 2020, the top social media apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, as well as the ever-popular app version of Facebook,” read the Statista report.

METRO

en-za

2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281663963376797

African News Agency