Week 1: Social Media & Celebrity Culture in a Developing Country!

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Last year in the summer, I heard about a few YouTubers/TikTokers with massive fan following. "They must be creating valuable and interesting content as they have such a massive fan following," I thought. So, I decided to watch their content. 

After watching a few videos and reading the thumbnails of many videos, I found nothing valuable and interesting in their content. It was nothing more than filming their routine daily lives, including shopping, a day out, dining out, a day in a college/school, someone's wedding, house-warming, thus showcasing their personal lives and materials. Notably, these creators predominantly earn in foreign currency, particularly dollars, which incentivizes them to continue churning out such content. The disparity in earnings between those operating in local currency and those with international appeal is striking. Despite occasional criticism for oversharing personal details, they amass millions of views.

Recently, I learned that there is a difference between Vlogging and Content Creation. Vlogging means "filming your daily life," while Content Creation means "planning and recording that scripted work." So, YouTubers/TikTokers can be either content creators or vloggers. 

What troubles me is the apparent lack of value in their content. Despite this, they hold significant wealth and have considerable influence across various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. I can't help but ponder where this celebrity and material culture are leading our youth.  Considering the wide earning gap and currency difference, is there any motivation for our students to pursue Higher Education? Is financial capital more powerful than cultural capital and education?












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