Blogging and Influencing Are Legitimate Career Paths and Should Be Supported

The internet has changed the face of the world in ways that perhaps its inventors never foresaw. With the advent of social media, the way we interact has changed. It’s easier than ever to form communities with people from all over the world, learn, discover and share ideas. Kenya has done well with regards to the internet with penetration at 85.3%, according to The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) communications sector report for the period April and 30th June 2016. Even more impressive, mobile penetration has increased from 89.2% to 90%. With statistics like this, and with Kenya having one of the fastest internet speeds on the continent, it’s no wonder that the digital economy has seen exponential growth.

The Kenyan digital economy has seen successes such as M-Pesa, Ongair, Ghafla! and Eneza. There has also been a huge demand for digital literacy and software development skills that has been met by players such as Andela, Akirachix, BAKE and Gebeya. When it comes to social media, the numbers speak for themselves with an approximately 5M Kenyan users on Facebook and 3M on Twitter. Corporates have seen the potential of having their customer base online and job opportunities for social media managers, bloggers and influencers have been on the rise, as well as an increase in efficiency from corporates with regards to customer service.

Politics aside, blogging has not only created income streams for especially young Kenyans, but also populated the internet with Kenyan content from authentic Kenyan voices. With the success of BAKE Awards and SOMA Awards, interest in blogging and the value of social media has been proven on the national stage. Interestingly, there has been some resistance to the idea of blogging/influencing as a legitimate income generating activity or career choice. There are quite a number of people who have expressed on various platforms including social media that they believe the monetization of blogging has ruined the craft and that influencers are turning social media into a marketplace. Yes, it’s true that there have been some teething problems mostly of an ethical nature, which is expected in a fledgling industry, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

The crux of the matter seems to be what should be paid for and what shouldn’t. The same argument is present in art, with the belief that the purity of art is diluted if it must be paid for. The romantic notion of the starving artist is nothing more than a sinister scam to have artistes devalue themselves and their well-being in a bid to add value to their art. Blogging and influencing is a creative pursuit and so also suffers from the same notion. I can’t count the number of corporates who in as much as they can see the value of bloggers and influencers, are not willing to pay for the service or begrudgingly pay very little.

Blogging and influencing is work. It takes work to create content and to leverage your popularity, fame or expertise to create value and an income. Considering the youth unemployment rate is a whooping 35%, we should be more welcoming to new income generating activities. Bloggers and influencers are creative entrepreneurs and it would be nice if they would receive more support from corporates, the government and financial service providers as the industry grows.