非洲年轻人 | 深受社交媒体红人影响

Africa's youth: Influencers make a big impact

在非洲大陆，前不久还无人知晓的社交媒体红人职业如今不断发展壮大。为吸引相互关联的年轻客户群体，各家公司正密切关注着这些在社交媒体上崭露头角的风云人物。

©️图为联合国教科文《信使》杂志2021年第2期，点击文末“阅读原文”可免费阅读本期数字版。

凯西亚·埃巴莱 Kesia Ebale

 驻刚果民主共和国金沙萨记者

一年前，艾尔莎·马金博（Elsa Majimbo）还是一名新闻系学生，在肯尼亚内罗毕过着默默无闻的安静生活。和世界上大多数人一样，COVID-19 疫情让她措手不及。为了打破封禁措施造成的单调沉闷，马金博开始在自己的 Instagram 账号上发布搞笑短片。她制作的视频并没有经过精心安排，只是加入了阵阵笑声，并在插科打诨的间隙吃点薯片罢了，但这位18岁的姑娘发现，自己粉丝的数量迅速增长。

她发布的信息被分享了数万次，还引起了超级巨星歌手、演员兼商界女强人蕾哈娜（Rihanna）的关注。这实在出乎马金博的意料，她现在拥有220万粉丝，前不久还联手意大利时尚设计师瓦伦蒂诺推广她自己的品牌。

马金博在短短几个月内跃升成为东非社交媒体红人之一——这些人有能力通过社交媒体影响他人的购买习惯或可量化的种种行动。她已经成为一名受到追捧的“内容创造者”，能够利用自己在 Instagram、YouTube 或 Twitter 上收获的名气赚钱。

对于社交媒体红人来说，时尚、生活方式、音乐、幽默、烹饪和美容是最受欢迎、也是最赚钱的话题。非洲是全球最年轻的大陆，当地的智能手机市场近年来呈现爆炸式增长。在非洲，社交媒体红人这种新兴职业正吸引着越来越多的年轻人，他们有些人受到数字聚光灯的诱惑，有些人从中看到了暴富的希望。一直以来，粉丝超过百万的超级红人是少之又少的。

Illustration © Selçuk Demirel for The UNESCO Courier

不断发展变化的现象

社交媒体红人现象大约出现在10年前，此后不断发展。许多社交媒体名人最初是积极推动变革的活跃分子，但现在，他们的目标变成了本土企业或跨国公司，例如电信运营商、连锁酒店、航空公司等。设在阿比让的一家数字营销机构“图腾体验”的创始人兼首席执行官凯西·卢蒙巴（Kahi Lumumba）这样解释说：“2010年起，推特（Twitter）上诞生了一批红人，这些人最初的诉求是普及互联网，谴责数字鸿沟。”

卢蒙巴说：“以科特迪瓦为例，伊迪丝·布劳 Edith Brou（内容创作者、网络活动家、博客作者和品牌影响力人物）如今是举国上下最受关注的人物之一。她的成名，始于转发关于2010年政治危机的消息。”

利用数字平台宣传某项事业的做法从来没有停止过。事实上，有志于消除不平等、歧视或对抗全球变暖的一些私营公司也在鼓励这种做法。卢蒙巴说：“科特迪瓦电力公司每年都会向全国最优秀的学生颁奖，公司会聘请一些红人来助力宣传这项举措。我们还与国际移民组织（IOM）合作，让年轻人更多地了解与非法移民有关的问题。”

然而，如今的社交媒体明星吸引的主要是那些希望招徕相互关联的年轻城市受众的公司。“图腾体验”将热衷于推广新服务的品牌与拥有大批忠诚粉丝的红人联系起来。例如，近来大约有15名红人在个人账号上发布了一则关于快递送货员的视频，借以推广阿比让的一款送货上门应用程序。卢蒙巴说：“对于公司来说，这种方式可以增加销售额，同时更加贴近客户。”他的机构雇用的员工很快将从30人增加到50人。

“标题党”

这些网络明星的收入主要来自有偿推广、发布照片或视频。除酬金之外，他们通常还可以根据自己吸引的点击量额外获得一笔奖金。时尚、旅行或旅游业红人还能拿到实物好处，比如服装或是免费入住豪华酒店。当然了，他们也必须在粉丝群中进行相应的宣传。

很难估计在非洲究竟有多少社交媒体红人仅靠这一个职业谋生，他们中的大多数人还有另一份工作或是副业，以备不测。超级红人数量极少，他们更多是凭借自身才华出人头地的顶级名流，例如歌手、演员、体育明星或时尚偶像，而不是那些仅仅通过互联网成名的网红。

StarNgage 红人营销平台列出了各国排名在全球前1000位的 Instagram 影响力人物排行榜。在非洲人口最多的国家尼日利亚，非洲流行歌手、作曲家和活动家耶米·阿拉德（Yemi Alade）以1,230万粉丝高居榜首。

在讲法语的西非地区，“嘟嘟制作视频”是一个很受欢迎的红人，以描绘塞内加尔达喀尔的日常生活而出名。“嘟嘟”的真名是穆哈马杜·恩迪亚耶（Mouhamadou Ndiaye），他与一家在非洲颇具影响力的手机公司达成协议，推广自己的视频。

在非洲大陆的另一端，南非的凯菲尔韦·马博特（Kefilwe Mabote）在 Instagram 上拥有110万粉丝，在时尚界和奢侈品市场上声誉正隆。马博特是一名精明强干的商人，她已经与国际知名品牌建立了合作关系。2020年4月，她还出版了一本书《影响奢华世界的凯菲尔韦·马博特：从索韦托到米兰》，在书中讲述了自己的成功故事。

多姿多彩的非洲大陆

在非洲大陆，到处都可以看到相同的流行趋势，特别是在各种主题受欢迎的程度方面，但非洲不同国家和地区之间仍然存在巨大差异。各国的数字基础设施和网络质量参差不齐。红人经济提醒人们认识到市场营销人员常常忽视的一个事实——非洲不只有一个，而是有很多个。

在尼日利亚和南非这两个重量级大国的推动下，非洲英语国家目前的发展速度领先于法语地区。西非有36%的人口可以上网，高于中部非洲，后者只有22%的人口可以接入网络。

专家认为，目前这种情况几年后会趋于公平。刚果独立运动领袖帕特里斯·卢蒙巴（Patrice Lumumba）的孙子，凯西·卢蒙巴预测：“一旦中部非洲建起了目前空缺的基础设施，就会迎来发展的浪潮。在整个创意界，刚果民主共和国（DRC）将大有作为。”卢蒙巴认为非洲法语地区最大的城市金沙萨有望发展成为数字创意中心。

这名年轻的企业家希望，刚果歌手伊诺斯·B（Innoss'B）、加兹·马威特（Gaz Mawete）和莫伊斯·姆比耶（Moise Mbiye）——他们的Instagram账号目前在国内最受欢迎——不久能够跻身新兴网络明星之列，在这个人口超过8000万的国家打开一片前景广阔的影响力人物市场。

相关链接

《金沙萨的街头智慧》（点击阅读本文）

联合国教科文组织《信使》，2019年4-6月

《非洲青年：重塑政治》

联合国教科文组织《信使》，2018年4-6月

https://en.unesco.org/courier/2018-2/young-africans-reinventing-politics

《非洲创客一代》

联合国教科文组织《信使》，2017年4-6月

https://en.unesco.org/courier/2017-april-june/generation-afropreneurs

Africa's youth: Influencers make a big impact

Unheard of until recently, the profession of influencer is enjoying growing success on the continent. Eager to acquire a young and connected clientele, companies are now eyeing the most popular of these new social media celebrities.

Kesia Ebale 

Journalist based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

A year ago, Elsa Majimbo led an anonymous and quiet life as a journalism student in Nairobi, Kenya. Caught off guard like much of the world by the Covid-19 pandemic, she started posting comedy sketches on her Instagram account, to counter the monotony of the lockdown. With her poorly-framed videos – punctuated by bursts of laughter and handfuls of potato chips consumed between gags – the 18-year-old saw the number of her followers soar.

Shared tens of thousands of times, her messages caught the attention of Rihanna, the megastar singer, actress, and businesswoman. That was quite a coup for Majimbo, who now boasts 2.2 million followers, and recently went into partnership with Italian fashion designer Valentino to promote her brand.

In just a few months, Majimbo has become one of East Africa’s influencers – someone who has the power to affect the buying habits or quantifiable actions of others, using social media. She  has joined the exalted ranks of "content creators" who monetize the fame they have acquired on Instagram, YouTube or Twitter.

Fashion, lifestyle, music, humour, cooking, and beauty are the most popular – and therefore the most profitable – topics for influencers. In Africa – the world's youngest continent, where the smartphone market has exploded in recent years – this new career is attracting a growing number of young people enticed by the digital spotlight and the promise of significant wealth for some. The mega influencers – those who have more than a million followers – remain a miniscule  minority.

A phenomenon that has evolved

The influencer phenomenon, which started about a decade ago, has evolved since. While many of the social media stars started out as activists for change, they now target local or multinational companies, such as telecommunications providers, hotel chains, airlines, etc. "Influencers born on Twitter in the 2010s began by demanding an internet for all, and denouncing the digital divide," explains Kahi Lumumba, founder and CEO of Totem Experience, a digital marketing agency in Abidjan.

“In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, [content creator, web activist, blogger and brand influencer] Edith Brou, one of the most followed personalities in the country today, began by relaying information on the 2010 political crisis,” he adds.

The practice of using digital platforms to advocate a cause has not stopped. In fact, it is  encouraged by some private companies involved in the fight against inequality, discrimination or global warming. “Every year, the Ivorian Electricity Company gives awards to the country’s best students. Influencers are recruited to advertise the initiative. We have also worked with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to make young people more aware of issues related to illegal migration,” continues Lumumba.

But today’s social media stars are mainly sought-after by companies wanting to attract a young and connected urban audience. Totem Experience connects brands – keen to promote their new services – with influencers followed by a loyal community. For instance, about fifteen influencers recently posted videos on their personal accounts, featuring delivery men to promote a home delivery app created in Abidjan. "For companies, it's a way to increase sales and get closer to their customers," says Lumumba, whose agency will soon expand from thirty to fifty employees.

Clickbait

These stars of the web are usually paid for promoting  and advertising photos or videos. Depending on the number of clicks they attract, a bonus is often added to their fee. Influencers who work in fashion, travel or tourism also receive benefits in kind – such as clothing or free stays in luxury hotels, which, of course, they must in turn promote among their followers.

It is difficult to estimate how many influencers make a living by relying solely on the profession in Africa. Most of them have another job or side business to fall back on. The very limited circle of mega influencers are more likely to be A-list celebrities known for talent in their own right, like singers, actors, sports stars or fashion icons, rather than those who have gained fame only through the internet.

The StarNgage influencer marketing platform features a Top Instagram Influencers Ranking listing the top 1,000 stars worldwide, by country. In Nigeria, the continent's most populous country, Afropop singer, songwriter and activist Yemi Alade leads the way, with 12.3 million followers.

In French-speaking West Africa, “Dudu fait des vidéos” is a popular web influencer. Known for his depictions of daily life in Dakar, Senegal, Dudu – whose real name is Mouhamadou Ndiaye – has struck a deal with a mobile phone company with a strong presence in Africa to promote his videos. 

On the other side of the continent, South Africa's Kefilwe Mabote – who has 1.1 million followers on Instagram – has built a solid reputation in the fashion and luxury market. A formidable businesswoman, she has forged partnerships with prestigious international brands. In April 2020, she published a book, Kefilwe Mabote: Influencer De Luxe: From Soweto to Milan, which recounts her success story.

A diverse continent

While many of the same trends can be observed throughout the continent – particularly regarding  the popularity of the topics covered – significant disparities still exist from one country to another, and from one African region to another. Not all countries have the same level of digital  infrastructure and network quality. The influencer business reminds us of a truth that is often ignored by marketers – that there is not just one Africa, but many.

Thus, English-speaking Africa, driven by heavyweights Nigeria and South Africa, currently outpaces French-speaking Africa. West Africa, where thirty-six per cent of the population has access to the internet, has a head start over Central Africa, where only twenty-two per cent of the population is connected.

Experts believe that the situation will become more equitable  in the coming years. “Once Central Africa has the infrastructure it currently lacks, there will be a tidal wave. In the creative world in general, the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC] makes a difference,” predicts Lumumba. The grandson of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba, he is banking on Kinshasa – the largest city in French-speaking Africa – to become a hub for digital creativity.  

The young entrepreneur hopes that the Congolese singers Innoss'B, Gaz Mawete, and Moise Mbiye – whose Instagram accounts are currently the most popular in the DRC – will soon share the spotlight with new network stars, boosting the promising market of influencers in this country of over 80 million people.

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