Content creation thrives amid backdrop of pandemic

AMMAN — Over the past two years, the pandemic has significantly accelerated people’s interest in online content as it revolutionised a new creative era for social media, according to experts.

New social media platforms have also risen since the onslaught of the pandemic and many people have felt more comfortable being themselves on social media platforms like TikTok, they said.

Ammar Abu Salah, a digital marketing and social media expert, said that in the past (before the pandemic), social media, specifically in the Arab region, was only for entertainment, as many commercial establishments did not pay enough attention to them due to the lack of awareness of the importance of social media.

“The new normal, where many of our daily interactions are mediated by screens, has made us change the way we act on social media platforms and how we use them as well,” Abu Salah told The Jordan Times.

According to Abu Salah, the importance of e-marketing and social media in particular emerged during the pandemic, therefore, new professions began to surface as well, led by content writers and content creators.

“Creating content helps people to get several jobs anywhere in the world and not only where they actually are. It also created new jobs, such as ‘influencers’ in Jordan and the world at large, because they created attractive content and delivered it in an unprecedented way to the target audience,” Abu Salah said.

He noted that content creation will evolve during the upcoming years and the demand for it will increase due to the great digital transformation, “The future of content creation will surely evolve with quality and accessibility. The newer and improved software, applications, and tools appear, the higher the expectations of potential customers for the quality of the content,” he added.

Ibrahim Alami, a young Jordanian content creator, pointed out that the pandemic has helped creators immensely with their content, noting that with the years passing by, social media is continuously developing, regardless if it is positive or negative. 

“During the worldwide lockdowns, everyone was at home using their phones, therefore, social media users increased as everybody had plenty of time to check the content that was being published,” Alami told The Jordan Times.

“When I started creating content, I did not have any expectations and I did it for fun, but my platform started growing and everything changed in my career. Now social media is a good source of income for me,” he said.

Alami noted that content creation needs time and effort.

“The pandemic has shown us the future of video. It is a battle for how to create content that empowers viewers to engage with relatable content, or level up their skills, find happiness, and forget stress,” he said.

Layan Al Louzi, an online-business owner, highlighted the impact social media had on her business. “I was able to grow my business through content creation, whether from influencers and their advertisement through their content, or through the way I present my business on social media,” she told The Jordan Times

Louzi said that content creation took her business from being small to a successful big business. “Consumers like to see products a certain way and in a specific aesthetic, understanding how to market your product online and keeping up with the trends is highly important to be able to expand,” she added.

According to Louzi, social media and content creation have forever changed the future of video and marketing, “this is why it is essential for any business owner to always have an up-to-date e-marketing plan”.