Passionate mental health advocate Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on the need to put emotional literacy at the centre of mental health conversations
It’s the year 2022. And creators have taken over. Or so it felt like at the 1 Billion Followers Summit that took place in Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah, on December 3-4. Around 3,000 content creators — including mega and micro-influencers — gathered under one roof, over a span of two days, to discuss all things social media and cement its place within the wider media industry.
With sessions such as ‘Is TikTok good or bad?’ and ‘Is there such a thing as ‘responsible’ creators?’, the summit addressed pressing questions about how viewers and creators can work in synergy to create a digital landscape that does more good than harm.
The audience members comprised social media creators, with anywhere from a few thousands of followers to communities of millions of subscribers, along with employees from some of the key social media players such as Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat.
In fact, the name of the summit derives from the total following of 1 billion people (approx.) of over 100 influencers that took to the stage to deliver panel discussions, workshops, meet-and-greet sessions for the largest event of its kind. “I have been so impressed with the UAE in general and the initiative they are taking to support content creation. They are also spreading so much awareness amongst the local population, with programmes in Arabic and now in English, with the New Media Academy,” said Uptin, a content creator of Iranian origins, with over 2 million followers online.
The summit organised by the UAE’s New Media Academy, launched in June 2020, aims to create greater awareness around new media initiatives. “I’ve been really blown away with how the UAE is so advanced, progressive and really understands the future of media to be content creation,” added Uptin.
Over the recent years, many content creators have also found a home in the country, moving here in search of better opportunities. One amongst them is Nuseir Yassin, popularly known as Nas Daily on social media. The Arab-Israeli content creator has stirred up the landscape of social media content over the last few years, growing a community of 60 million followers on social media.
“The UAE has become my home. I’ve been living here for the last two years, the country is very welcoming. It’s fantastic to see that the culture of content creation is being implemented in the UAE. People are encouraged to enter this field,” said Nuseir, whose team was closely involved with organising the mega summit.
The biggest content differentiator in 2022, according to Nas Daily, has been travel content and TikTok videos. “You see a lot of content being shot outside the house. Next year, you will continue to see that but you’ll also see a lot of AI-generated and VR content. Every single year, this is going to get bigger, not smaller,” added Nuseir.
The summit felt like a sort of alternative reality, where selfies and vlogging cameras were the norm, people had barcodes to scan an exhaustive list of all their social handles, as a way to introduce oneself, and small-talk revolved heavily around algorithms and what’s trending on social media.
We took this opportunity to ask some of the creators to offer some tips and tricks to navigate the expansive world of social media. “Be spontaneous, be yourself, enjoy your life. You can do so many things, don’t let anyone stop you,” said Mama Wafaa, who was a fan-favourite at the summit, full of sass on stage, shattering stereotypes for the Arab community. “Including my mother in the videos we create has allowed my content to be widespread, so make sure you include other people or people that are really important in your life,” said 29-year-old Mai, who makes comedy sketches and content with her mother.
“There is always a bigger number. Stop thinking about big numbers, start thinking about big content and the numbers and money will flow,” said Abhi, known by his Instagram handle @abhiandniyu, in which him and his partner create informational videos related to India’s culture and history.
Hire faster, said Nas Daily. “After my first-ever hire, Nas Daily blew up because now I have more time. Before, I could only make 30 videos in 30 days, now we can make 200 videos in 30 days. Thanks to this incredible team, we can build products, create events, and travel. We can do whatever we want, because of a team. Nothing great is done alone.”
Another creator who has recently moved to the UAE, in hopes of fulfilling her dreams and aspirations, is Vendla (@vendla.com14). Flight attendant by profession, Vendla left her home in Sri Lanka and moved to the UAE for better job prospects, hoping to get a job in the aviation industry post-pandemic. According to her, short-form content has the most potential in the current digital landscape. “There are Instagram reels, Facebook reels and YouTube Shorts. Short content is thriving. Platforms are also supporting more authentic content, without any crazy equipment or editing,” she mentioned.
While all these trends are here to stay, the creators also admitted that the algorithm on social platforms is bound to change on a daily basis, so one must always keep their content and perspective up-to-date to stay relevant. The summit ended with a social gathering in the UAE desert, to celebrate the end of the 2-day long conference, and of course, to create fresh, new content for our feeds.
somya@khaleejtimes.com
Passionate mental health advocate Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on the need to put emotional literacy at the centre of mental health conversations
In an age when life normally is steeped in academics, Shayaan Ali is an influencer aiming to inspire people with his art and social media presence
As the need to protect the planet becomes urgent, Aliyu Mohammed Ali, CEO and co-founder of Ehfaaz aims at creating and simplifying recycling solutions within the UAE to protect and recover our resources
French-Guinean expat Saran Sow Barry says saving 30 per cent of her income every month is absolutely essential
UAE resident shares love for her ride
One group of parents is going the extra mile to achieve that dream
Training business leaders in the Arab world, public-speaking expert Dr Ehab Hamarneh shares insights on how to overcome the fear of judgement
After her historic win in the first professional women's MMA fight to take place in Riyadh, the two-time Olympic gold medallist talks about what lies ahead for female fighters