Content creators helped us get through lockdown

In 2020, many nations went on lockdown as the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the world. 

At the same time, social media platforms saw a huge jump in users. Comedians used the platforms to help distract people from the death toll announced daily by the media. 

In a way Covid-19 helped many to appreciate the role comedy plays and human reliance on humour.

Elsa Majimbo, for example, went viral globally through videos posted on the digital platforms at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

She was recently named in the top 30 under 30 by Forbes Magazine.

Majimbo created her first viral video from her bedroom and a friend shared it online. She says those who love her content appreciate her while haters dismiss her as dumb. 

Street dancer and content creator Moya David told Star Digital that one of the reasons he danced was to connect with the youth.

David is popularly known for ambushing people on streets, markets, homes, and even restaurants before he spreads joy by dancing for them.

He surprises people with a choreographed dance accompanied by the famous song Mi Amor. David then kneels and gives them flowers, chocolates and a card afterwards.

"Initially, I wanted to bring dancers together but it was not possible after the pandemic hit the country due to social distance," he says.

"I decided to continue doing videos just to make people laugh and divert their minds from what was happening. Keeping their minds occupied."

David says reading feedback on the videos he creates encourages him to continue creating more content.

He would go for three months without any pay due to copyright issues since he uses other people's music. "Although I had opened the YouTube channel to make money, I ended up doing it for my fans," he says.

"Parents said we were keeping the youths busy since they would train how to dance with our content. Some music is used to tell stories. Some we would address the pandemic and encourage them to follow the MOH Covid-19 guidelines."

David is a journalism and media studies graduate.

He says before the pandemic hit, he had secured greener pasture in South Korea thanks to his talent. Unfortunately, his travel documents had issues since he had not graduated and he had to wait. 

It was during the waiting period when Covid hit the country and everything came to a halt.

"The idea kept bouncing as most of my dancers were not serious about it. I used to train them but I realised some of them were not serious about it. So I started getting involved," he says.

David says he would post about eight videos in a day just to keep viewers glued to his channel.

"I started gaining subscribers and people started knowing me but not as much."

David says he was also looking for opportunities on other social media platforms and that is how he noticed people were going bigger on TikTok.

"It took me a long time before I decided to do TikTok. I thought it was for girls." 

So what inspired him?

"I wanted to bring dancers together but it was not possible due to social distance," he says.

In the midst of all that, he knew he wanted to make people happy and that is how he focused on appearing on Tiktok.

"Young people used to watch our content and even parents. I can say, I was also keeping the youths busy since they would train how to dance with our content," he says.

Why focus on street dance?

David says he used to create content but with time realised he was making no impact. 

He wanted to be unique. In the beginning, he used to wear a Taekwondo attire and even got a referee, but that content was largely consumed by men.

"A few understood the concept but still that was not what I wanted and so, I came up with a different concept to visit the markets where nobody knew about Tiktok," he says.

He is currently the most-followed TikToker in Kenya with over 3.2 million followers and 38 million likes on the app.

Comedian and skit-maker Flaqo says the pandemic solidified his career in entertainment.

He says before the pandemic, he was just referred to as an upcoming content creator even hough he was working hard at that time.

"That is the foundation of my brand till today. I have acknowledged that the Covid-19 pandemic period cemented me as a brand," he says

Flaqo considers the period as the season he grew his craft.

"I don't like speaking about money but in terms of the craft. Money was there but the money helped me to improve the quality of my work," he says, adding that he bought better equipment that has made him improve the quality of his content.

"My fans were also entertained and this made an impact not just on my fans but on myself," he says.

Cyberbullying and mental health

Comedian Mulamwah and TikToker Azziad are examples of the people who have faced cyberbullying but the list is endless. 

Impact of cyberbullying on content creators

Flaqo says as a creative, he believes in trial and error but at some point he got overwhelmed by the trolls and bullies online.

"As you grow as a creator, there are haters and you start receiving opinions from people who don't know anything about you," he says, adding that as much as he put on a brave face, it wore him down.

"It was like a shoe growing and when it does, you need to fit the shoe. If you don't that is when your mental health comes in," he says, adding that he took a break from the pressure in 2021.

"Since I had more content still running, people did not notice coz I used to post videos I had done before. I needed to navigate and know how to handle social media pressure."

Flaqo says that as a creator, people support you until they realise you are making money from your content.

"Once people sense money from your comedy, it starts looking less funny. They just start trolling you coz they still find you as a source of their entertainment," he says.

How to deal with social media bullies.

Marjoline Kirima, the founder of End Cyberbullying Association, says cases of cyberbullying increased by 80 per cent during the pandemic.

"All of us were forced to be online whether you are aware or not, even kids used the internet to study and cyber safety became a thing," she says.

Marjoline says most people were bullied, including content creators.

"People were idle in their houses and that is why cyberbullying increased," she says.

"People are afraid of speaking about the effect trolls have on them due to some vague opinions like 'you should leave' the social media pages.

"We don't ask people to stop driving since there are increased accidents, we provide them with information on what to do."

She says the effects of cyberbullying include depression, low self-esteem and some people become anti-social.

"Content creators may have to rethink before releasing anything to the public and this limits their creativity despite how good they are since they are trying to win the opinion of all people who follow them."

This, in many cases, could lead to depression, she says.

According to Marjoline, women are more targeted by bullies and they have it worse from the perspective of their bodies. 

She recommends that people stop revealing too much about themselves online.

Through the 'Kuwa Mwema' campaign launched by her company, ECBA, Marjoline encourages everyone to make an effort to end cyberbullying.

This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Elizabeth Ngigi and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union

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