According to an estimate, there were around 80 million content creators in India in the year 2022
Dwijendra Kumar
The digital and technological revolution has changed and revolutionized the information and entertainment industry. People are no longer dependent on newspapers and television channels for sourcing information. They look up to content creators on social media for answers to their specific queries, who in turn get paid by platforms used by them in lieu of advertisements displayed during the program and also sponsorships received from big brands and companies that would like to reach out to the consumers of their creative and informative contents.
According to an estimate, there were around 80 million content creators in India in the year 2022. The projected figure for the year 2024 is approx. 100 million number of content creators, which means we are number one in the world in content creation for the social media platforms, which include websites, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Instagram and YouTube are considered to be drawing maximum viewers and content creators.
These content creators can be broadly categorized under the following segments:
- YouTube Video Vloggers
- Instagram Video Vloggers
- Vloggers for various social media platforms and websites
- Bloggers for various websites and social media platforms
- Blogging for self-owned websites
- Podcasts featuring interviews with eminent people
Though a global platform such as YouTube pays handsomely to vloggers whose videos get over one million views, the revenue generation capacity of smaller players in the field getting one thousand to one lakh views is all set to rise from approx. 9 percent two years ago to 14 percent in the financial year 2024-25. One of the major contributors to the growth of this industry is the advertisement revenue coming from big companies that would like to associate themselves with a popular content creator or a program.
According to an estimate, digital platforms are the preferred choice of advertisers in India. The reason being it involves a smaller amount of money and time in the creation of an advertisement. Further, India has a huge number of people using mobile data to get access to contents available freely on social media platforms. A good number of viewers are those belonging to poor socio-economic strata of society.
As per the information available through various sources, the Indian advertising industry is now worth around one trillion rupees. It is growing at the rate of over 8 percent per year. Digital advertising is poised for further growth, with online videos being the most preferred choice.
The skills required for a good content creator include good writing and verbal communication skills. Earlier, this social media industry was dominated by English-speaking programs and individuals. But things have drastically changed in recent years, and the language with maximum reach is the Hindi language. Followed by English and regional languages.
One also needs to have in-depth knowledge of the subject he/she is writing about or creating a video around. One also needs to be tech-savvy to create special effects in the program, such as subtitles, images, maps, locations, sound, music, etc.
There are a number of successful YouTubers and social media influencers who have left a secured career to take a plunge into what their hearts lie in. If you want to be one among them, dive in!
(Dwijendra Kumar is a Mass Communication Professional who writes on fashion, lifestyle & communication. He has also authored books on fashion design & textiles. Views expressed are personal)
