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How influencers are changing local media landscape

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Social media influencers have become authoritative voices. FILE PHOTO | NMG

In the past few years, social media influencers in Kenya, such as bloggers and public figures with huge followings, have risen from obscurity to become powerful household names.

This has largely been driven by deeper Internet penetration, increased affordability of smartphones and higher levels of engagement on popular social media platforms. such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, just to name a few.

It is estimated that by 2022 more than 80 per cent of all phones in Kenya will be smartphones, according to data analytics company GlobalData Mobile Broadband Forecast.

This, coupled with the ever increasing availability of affordable Internet and the growing popularity of social media, heightens the prospect that social media influencers in Kenya will continue moving from strength to strength in the coming years.

The growing prominence of influencers is reshaping the media industry, especially political and entertainment coverage.

Today, a TV show producer’s biggest competitor isn’t the producer from a rival broadcaster, but an amateur comedian who routinely uploads short smartphone videos on YouTube.

Similarly, a national newspaper’s primary competition isn’t its key rival paper, but the increasing number of political bloggers whose articles appeal to the masses, despite bearing all the hallmarks of conspiracy theory.

Politics and entertainment are historically, and to this date, the primary drivers of audiences for traditional media houses.

Now that social media influencers have become authoritative voices in these two fields, traditional media houses are facing an uphill task retaining their audiences.

Media owners are understandably jittery about this situation in view of the billions they have invested. The situation isn’t any easier for journalists, particularly veteran scribes who are keen on protecting the integrity of the craft from bloggers perceived to be propagators of fake news.

Some media houses are reinventing themselves by strengthening their presence on social media. We are also witnessing the rise of media personalities, whose social media commentaries on trending news items generate significantly higher levels of discussion than most news items. Prominent journalists are no longer limiting themselves to reporting the news. They are making it.

This approach, however unconventional it may seem for anyone remotely familiar with media ethics, is nonetheless giving bold media houses fresh relevance in a redefined media landscape where likes and retweets are the key determinants of success.

Interestingly, the impact of influencers on the media industry reaches far beyond the newsroom. Advertising and the broader marketing communications sector have also been disrupted by influencers.

Brands that have been known to spend a fortune on conventional TV commercials and newspaper ads are now gradually warming up to the idea of using influencers.

Going forward, the role of influencers in Kenya’s marketing communications industry will come into sharper focus due to the emergence of millennials as a powerful consumer class.

Well established players in the marketing and communications industry shouldn’t view influencers as a threat, but as potential allies who can help them serve clients better.

Any player that wants to be a part of this growth narrative will need to work closely with influencers.

Lennox Yieke is communications consultant.