Is Content Creation A Real Job?

 Olumurewa Damilola.

Should that be a question?

Sit on that for a minute.

According to Statistics, there are over 6.3 million Nigerian creators on TikTok alone. Also, there are around 40,000 Nigerian Instagram influencers identified and about 4.9 – 5.2 million Nigerian TikTok influencers accounts. These statistics show the rapid growth of the content creation space in Nigeria's media market.  In fact,  there's no arguing that as the days go by, more people flood this space.

Let's be real, it's all around us. It is evident in the way your roommate wakes up earlier than anyone else to create a clean OOTD video. It is evident in that one friend that documents the process of making her art with acute determination.  What about the ones who carry selfie sticks on the street and  in the class just so as to make a video?

That explains why on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, there are endless videos because people keep creating, people keep getting new ideas for new videos and honestly, this is what makes us unique as humans—our ability to creatively create.

We should not be quick to limit content creation to making videos, let's not forget those who spend hours writing, proofreading and editing articles and the time spent searching for the right topics to write about. Also, there are people who design graphics and who spend days selecting the right fonts and logos that would appeal to their target audience. These are real jobs done by people that acquire real effort, time and dedication.

Now, the problem at hand is the misconception that surrounds being a  content creator. People ask: Is it a “real job”?  Should it be considered a job to start with? 

Let's take a step back to understand the real definition of  content creation. What does it mean? Is it just holding a tripod and a phone? Is it just writing? 

According to Cambridge Dictionary, a content creator is someone who creates content( video, images, writing and the likes) for the internet especially for a social media website. Yes, content creation is not only about making videos it also encompasses copywriting, design, and other media as long as it provides value and entertains an online audience. 

You might also want to ask; What does being a content creator entails? Why do people make content and what are its benefits? 

If you think about it, people just don't write, people just don't make videos, people just don't design, there's a thought process that goes into all of these. In other words, there's  a process to follow. It all starts from strategy and goal setting. Who is the target audience? What does the video or write up aim to achieve? Is it to entertain, educate or sell information? These are the questions that pop up in a creator's mind. 

For instance, one might have it in mind to create a video documenting a day as a Uni  student.  In this case, your target audience are your fellow students. You ask yourself; What will they gain from this video? Should you create for mere entertainment leveraging on shared status as students which makes your video relatable? Or should you take it a step further, by making the video educational by sharing tips on how you read, cope with academic stress load and balance life as a student and a content creator. These are the basic things creators consider. They think, plan and strategize before making a content.

Another tasking process a content creator  considers is  ideation—generating content ideas. This could be excruciating considering the fact there are thousands of ideas out there to draw inspiration from but the real challenge is how to carve out an idea unique from others.  How does one stand out? How does one achieve authenticity? These are  questions to tackle by the content creators themselves. 

Afterwards, there is the actual making of the content, the scheduling of posts, the optimisation of posts to the right audience and the engagement. So there's a process to follow. Contents just don't fall from the sky, they are created by people.

Now to the benefits of content creation. Apart from it being an avenue to generate income and getting brand deals especially as an influencer, there are various opportunities creating content offers. It creates visibility and awareness. It allows for self expression as people can voice their opinions  on issues and topics they find interesting through speaking, writing, creating graphics, work of arts, what have you. Also, it bridges the gap between your world and others. In one word, it creates room for global reach as content can reach millions of people worldwide. These are the benefits content creation offers, just to mention a few. 

Although some people are not full time content creators and some make little to no money from it, some people actually earn their living from it, some people raise their kids with the money earned from creating content. As long as people sit down to think, formulate and execute an idea that later becomes a content, that's a real job. That's someone's effort and time that should be acknowledged.

So if someone  asks you if content creation is a real job, ask them if that's a question to begin with because there's no asking, it is a real job.