Today, millions of Nigerians now have access to the internet on their mobile phones and connect with friends and family on social media every day.
According to Digital Information World, 57% of Gen Z want to be influencers. Due to the success of the Digital economy, being a social influencer is now an attractive career aspiration for young people.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, is one of the biggest enablers of that success. It creates pathways for creators to live successful lives while doing what they love.
Earlier this year, Instagram launched a campaign called Creators of Tomorrow to celebrate exceptionally successful creators and elevate meaningful, relatable conversations with their content.
The campaign involved five creators: Layi Wasabi, Rodney Umeh, Tiwa Pever, Ifeoluwa Afolabi, and Tobe Ugeh. It demonstrates Instagram’s plans to showcase the diversity of content available on the platform and promotes the features it offers creators looking to create content, stay up to date with top trends, and build and engage with their communities.
Some of the creators who were part of Instagram’s Creators of Tomorrow campaign this year spoke to Pulse Nigeria about how useful some of these features have been in their journeys as creators.
“I spend most of my time on Instagram. If anything is trending, I’ll always know about it easily. Instagram has helped me show my creativity because it’s a friendly app where I’m able to interact with my audience,” Tiwa Pever said.
Rodney told Pulse that Instagram has made it easier to reach a large audience. “Instagram has made it easier for me by giving me a platform I can use to reach a larger audience,” he said.
“It’s been a great experience. There are a lot of projects coming out and I recently collaborated with another content creator,” he stated.
The creators also expressed their appreciation for the Instagram algorithm, which they said has helped them gain new followers and get their content in front of their target audiences.
“The algorithm always puts my content in the eyes of the ideal audience, which allows me to create engaging content for those it is meant for,” the seasoned creator Layi Wasabi said.
For these five Creators of Tomorrow who are making an impact today, participating in the campaign was a testament to the work they have been doing to build their communities for years.
“It feels so unreal to know that a year ago, I was so unsure if my content was even good enough. Today, I am a Creator of Tomorrow and Instagram identifies me as an inspiring content creator and a part of the future of content,” Tobe Ugeh told Pulse.
This underscores Instagram and by extension, Meta’s substantial contribution to the lifeblood of the Nigerian creator space as both a champion for young creators and a supporter of the even more experienced players in the space.
