The age of communication was redefined by the introduction of social media. Largely, it was able to break communication and distance barriers that earlier modes of communication still could not deter. Social media has become a world of its own, existing alongside the physical world where information reaches everywhere and everyone in real-time. Due to social, users all over the world have allowed unintentional access in their respective lives.
A social media influencer is simply a user who can control and influence the decisions of some people through his activities through a social media account. Apart from the innate function of social media being used as a communication tool, there are loads of different things that go on the internet every day through this medium. An average user who posts content and begins to have lots of people (and maybe followers) views and comments is perhaps on the way to becoming a social media influencer. So, this is largely dependent on the reach - the number of followers.
I regard myself as an advocate of Quality Education - United Nations SDG 4. I am an advocate of Education, I might wine and dine with it soon. If I were to be a social media influencer, it would have to be through and for brands in the Education sector.
As a subset, I believe that every individual by virtue of being a student or not should be able to get access to education regardless of the lack of resources that may pose a hindrance. This is possible through educational opportunities such as scholarships, grants, fellowships and so on. In Nigeria, apart from the ones organised by the federal government, private entities put out scholarships through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects.
However, lots of students never know that these opportunities exist at all. Only the few who know about it go on to win multiples and some do not share such updates with people around them. Those who take the pain to ensure they share the info are still spread too thin. So, utilising the privilege of being a social media influencer, I will ensure that I share timely opportunities as they come by as well as bring previous beneficiaries on board to put people through. Although I do this on a small scale, I use my WhatsApp platform to spread the news about opportunities. Yesterday, we had a webinar where the speaker was a beneficiary of the SNEPCO scholarship to talk to the participants about the application.
A screenshot of the webinar
Furthermore, I will leverage the rise of EdTech platforms like ULesson which are committed to revolutionizing the education sector in Nigeria. I have been seeing certain innovative approaches that these startups introduce. I believe it will go a long way. But I think they are not getting the honour they deserve yet - or as much as it should be. Now, that is where a social media influencer who is passionate about education can come in and blow the trumpet for more visibility.
