This year’s International Creator Day was marked at the University of Nairobi with calls on content creators to adopt new digital technologies and tools to generate relevant content for quality engagement.
The second edition of the annual event brought together creatives including writers, v-loggers, musicians, photographers and designers, tech companies and brands to celebrate the significant contribution of content creators to the lives of people around the world.
The celebrations included exhibitions and a day-long conference where experts explored opportunities, challenges, and trends shaping the industry.
Speakers at the conference noted that the social media space has been disrupted by digital revolution and urged creators to take advantage of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning to improve their content for monetization.
AI, they said, should no longer be viewed as a threat to jobs but an invaluable technology which when combined with human expertise can enhance content and provide value for brands and audiences.
Microsoft Africa Development Centre Head of Marketing, Tabbz Maina, challenged creators need to continuously develop their skills and stay abreast with latest AI tools to generate cost-effective, timely and relevant content that speaks to the needs of their audiences.
She disclosed the software engineering company targets to train more than a million Kenyans on AI to build a generation of tech-savvy individuals capable of exploiting various opportunities in the digital space.
“AI is the game changer in everything that we do and those who are not enhancing their skills and adopting emerging tools risk being left behind. If you invest well in AI you will be amazed at how things can be done efficiently and cost-effectively,” she told the gathering at the University’s Chandaria Auditorium.
Meta Global Partnerships Manager, sub-Saharan Africa, Rofhiwa Maneta, stressed the need for creatives to generate original content that sparks quality engagement to benefit from their monetization programme. Meta which introduced their monetization programme in Kenya runs Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms.
Meneta disclosed that the company has reviewed the programme to reward every kind of creative by bring on board all forms of content including photos, stories and texts.
The new unified monetization programme pays according to authenticity of content and performance in terms of engagement. Previously the Meta’s Facebook monetization programme was based on the length of videos and only enabled creators to earn from livestream in-ads, reels and channel subscriptions.
“We have different kinds of creatives and we need to accommodate and motivate all of them to be passionate in what they do and provide quality content for our platforms. The new programme will ensure people are paid based on how their content perform in terms of views and shares,” he said.
The second edition of the International Creator Day was done in collaboration with leading technology companies and creator management and distribution platforms. Safaricom, the Leading TechCo in the region took the lead in supporting the event as a gold sponsor. International Creator Day is a global initiative that celebrates the significant contribution that social media content creators have made to the lives of people around the world.
Teki CEO, Mr. Martin Muli, said the event was a platform to celebrate the influence and impact of content creators and give them opportunity to network and connect with various brands that they work with.
“We are in the era of Artificial Intelligence and the theme for this year’s celebrations is Creator Tech Tools, so we brought in tech firms and experts to introduce creators to various technologies they can use to advance and monetize their content. They also had opportunity to hear about latest trends in the industry from thought leaders,” said Muli.
Various tech companies participated showcased latest production equipment and technologies that enable content creation, distribution and management at the exhibition that was part of the event.
Safaricom’s Director, Brand and Marketing, Zizwe Awuor Vundla, said the day served as a reminder of the importance of creativity in modern culture and society.
“Creativity can be a powerful tool for expressing ideas and shaping public opinion. This day helps encourage people to continue creating and reminds us of the value and influence that creators have on society.”
