Priscilla Obilana delves into the mystery of whether or not it is as easy as it seems to be a social media personality.
Priscilla Obilana delves into the mystery of whether or not it is as easy as it seems to be a social media personality. Social media content grows exponentially. It allows for an unlimited amount of user-generated content which has resulted in the digital world evolving into multiple sectors and has even led to the emergence of social media careers. Not too long ago, what we consider now to be the norms were the unheard-ofs.“91% of Irish YouTube users to go to the site for entertainment purposes.”Hearing about a kid who recorded themselves singing and receiving a record deal because of that recording was a rare and remarkable occurrence, now social media is clogged with young performers anxious for their own big breaks. At one stage, watching YouTubers entertain would have put you in a very niche category of the population, but now 91% of Irish YouTube users to go to the site for entertainment purposes.Another consequence of digital careers to consider is the effects it will undoubtedly have on other forms of media. With more and more content being made available online for free and at the push of a button, it is the very definition of information overload. It is the next natural step that other forms of media like TV should have forgone, were it not for the rise of social publishing. News will be obtained from digital sources rather than traditional media, a shift which we have already witnessed the birth of.
“The digital age has spawned a new breed of entrepreneurial spirit.”Furthermore, the digital age has spawned a new breed of entrepreneurial spirit, the likes of which have never been seen before from a classroom or the media. The pioneers of digital job creation had no idea that was the journey they had undertaken. A measly five to ten years ago, they had no way of knowing the floodgates they were opening. Now, we can see how social media has been inundated with numerous copycats looking to re-create the success that the first few entrepreneurs had achieved.Everywhere online, there are examples of people utilising social media to finance their lives. These start-ups can be viewed anywhere on social media platforms across the internet. From millionaire YouTubers, Instagram models, to Facebook comedians, many are gaining their own recognition and fan bases. Live streamers earn a living from playing video games, and Twitter philosophers are making instrumental changes with real-world consequences, not to mention the social influencers across all of these mediums who are paid to advertise particular products and brands.It is a given in this day and age that with great social media platforms comes immense power. As can be expected, the more people who know and hear of the successes that come out of digital platforms, the more people will try their own hand at it. This makes competition tougher and a major breakout less likely for social media hopefuls.Digital platforms have become over-saturated with creators. A positive of which being that no one will ever hold a monopoly on any platform or any genre online. Over 300 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube alone every day. The web has created a space wherein everyone truly has an equal chance. Conversely, it also means trouble as having a limitless platform open to all means that, although all who partake have an equal chance, the odds are against the individuals. The first YouTuber to ever reach one million subscribers was none other than F?ED. It was an immense achievement and it set him apart as a creator. Now there are content creators with millions upon millions of subscribers, and the gravity related to reaching one million has been greatly reduced.
“Like all forms of entrepreneurship, social stardom requires risk, hard work, and sheer dumb luck.”Of course, those who started in the social media job sphere before it became mainstream had their own challenges as well. They had to carve out their own paths through sheer will as they couldn’t be sure that success would be on the other side. For new emerging content creators, they are entering a crowded and competitive terrain. They know that if they manage to succeed the rewards will be copious, however, while the path has been created, it is so congested that it is hard to get anywhere. Considering all of this, it becomes glaringly obvious that social media stardom is not an easy recipe to follow. Like all forms of entrepreneurship, it requires risk, hard work, and sheer dumb luck.So where can the future of the internet famous be predicted to go? Well, there seems to be no visible end for the social media employees. It can be said that our generation has functioned as lab rats for the formation of the world wide web. Nothing in the past can accurately be compared to the internet. Hence, there is no way to know if these social media platforms can uphold the multitudes of users flocking to social media for their incomes.