Social Media: A Niche Career for Gen-Z

Most of us have been scolded by our parents and teachers for being on social media all day and have always been told of ill-effects of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat but what if the changing world has now brought opportunities for young professional to make a career out of it.

With the advent of pandemic our whole world shifted online. MS teams became our classrooms and webinars became an integral part of our lives. Teachers had to learn to manage classrooms virtually and students had to cope with headache of making pdfs.

Many companies also started using various social media platforms for following reasons:

1. Generating Awareness

Companies through LinkedIn or other blogging sites have started creating awareness about their product or the services they offer. They also share anecdotes and stories of their customers and also their own employees.

2. Hiring employees

Recruiters also visit Facebook pages or Instagram handles of interns and other potential employees before hiring them as it provides them with valuable information about the compatibility of the employee and the company. They also avoid people who have been disrespectful on social media hence managing one’s social media activity has become very important.

3. Marketing and Advertisement

Companies are using digital spaces for advertising their products and the services they provide. NGOs have started using social media for spreading awareness about a particular campaign or for fundraisers.

E- Learning and EdTech

In the recent past EdTech companies have transformed the educational sector of India. Byju’s , Simplilearn , Unacademy , Upgrad , Vedantu are some examples which have successful in building a community of users which rely on them for their performance in school and college examinations and also for qualifying various competitive examinations. Many coaching centers have also launched their services digitally through apps and have also reported success in their ‘distant learning program’.

One fundamental question you may ask is if it would benefit you or not in terms of job opportunities and the answer is- yes!!

E-Learning becoming popular day by day it has created demands for teachers, web page designers, graphic designers, animators etc.

EdTech platforms require teachers ranging from post graduates with in-depth knowledge in their subjects to basic graduates in any subject to teach foundation courses in mathematics, sciences and language.

These companies have started hiring student interns from any course to assist senior faculty in various administrative tasks such as taking attendance, grading papers and worksheets, making power point presentation and taking queries from students as well as parents.

Admissions, query redressal system and most of the administrative tasks are done through online web pages and hence these companies require web page designers and also web page management companies for smooth functioning of their online portal. Many certificate and diploma courses are available in web page design and specializations in E-commerce which may prove to be beneficial in future for students who wish to pursue this career.

A diploma in web designing may also increase the chances of you being selected in an interview for a teaching job for example for Vedantu which uses an app for tutoring their students as this skill would be an additional feather in your cap and distinguish from the crowd.

You may have also attended various live classes on YouTube or their app and may have experienced a technical glitch, hence various EdTech companies are in need of engineers and technicians who can help them in smooth functioning of their online classes and live sessions.

With these EdTech companies revolutionizing the educational sector and creating demand for individuals who are tech savvy and teachers who are not only experts I their own subjects but also are able to connect with their students digitally and have a noticeable social media presence. For screening such individuals these companies would require HRs who themselves are able to navigate through social media platforms and evaluate individuals in interviews on the basis of their content on social media handles.

Another task which the HRs may need to perform may be to train new teachers on how to connect with students virtually and also organise workshops on content creation and effective management of online classrooms.

Digital Marketing

Marketing has always been about connecting with your audience. Today, that means you need to meet them where they are already spending time: on the internet.

Enter digital marketing — in other words, any form of marketing that exists online.

Digital marketing also known as online marketing, it is the promotion of brands providing services or goods through digital or virtual channels. It includes not only E-mail, social Medias or web designing but also multimedia texts as marketing channel.

Why do Companies adopt digital means of marketing? Some reasons are:

1. You can focus your efforts on only the prospects most likely to purchase your product or service.

2. It's more cost-effective than outbound marketing methods.

3. Digital marketing evens the playing field within your industry and allows you to compete with bigger brands.

4. Digital marketing is measurable.

5. It’s easier to adapt and change a digital marketing strategy.

6. Digital marketing can improve your conversion rate and the quality of your leads.

7. You can engage audiences at every stage with digital marketing.

Now with the world becoming tech-savvy, the scope of digital marketing is sky rocketing and demand for youth in this field is increasing.

Across India the market size of the advertising industry has increased, according to Statista digital marketing will create a market of INR 539 billion by year 2024.

The question is ‘Is digital marketing a good career option in India?’ Which can be answered by carefully looking at the career packages and career growth opportunities

Designation	Experience	Salary ( Rs Lakhs p.a. )
EXECUTIVE	0-1 years	1.5-4.0
SPECIALIST	1-3 years	2.0-6.0
TEAM LEAD	2-4 years	3.0-7.0
ANALYST	3-5 years	4.0-10
DIGITAL MARKETING HEAD	5-10 years	10-30

Some top career options in digital marketing are:

1. Digital Marketing Manager- A digital marketing manager formulates the digital presence of a brand and also executes the plan.

2. Search Engine Optimiser- The job responsibilities include developing content with positive keywords for elevating website traffic using search engine optimising tools.

3. Search Engine Marketer- They take care of paid Ads throughout the search engines.

4. Content Creator- It requires making content for the brand.

Digital marketing or online marketing is possibly one of the best uses of technology, and social media that is leading to better employment rates. Hence, the scope of digital marketing is not confined anymore. With the growing need and demand for digital marketing everywhere, there is a need to develop skills and acquire knowledge about the subject.

Training centres have been set up, online digital marketing courses, certifications are available and most of premiere management institutes of India have started courses and programs in digital marketing and many of these courses also allow correspondence.

More than 50% of professionals think that certification has led them to a new and better job. Thus, the scope of digital marketing courses will continue to outshine in the future as well. Workshops, webinars, academies, all of these have been curated to get the most from the subject.

It is important that you make sure that you gain all the knowledge and information that you need before stepping into the amazing world of digital marketing.

Public Speaker: A full time Job now?

Public speakers have also benefitted from streaming platforms and video sharing companies and have built a loyal audience. There are many successful examples

● Ankur Warikoo is one of the most successful content creators and public speaker. He gained his audience through youtube by making educational videos about investing, time management, entrepreneurship etc.

● Sandeep Maheshwari who needs no introduction, has become a household name through his motivational videos on Youtube.

● Ranveer Allahbadia a social media entrepreneur, YouTuber, motivational speaker, leadership coach, and soon-to-be author. Along with that, he is also a podcast host who runs India's TOP Podcast - "The Ranveer Show" both in English & in Hindi. He has founded BeerBiceps Pvt Ltd, a company that creates self-improvement content in various formats, with now running 6 YouTube Channels (7 Million+ online followers/subscribers).

● These YouTubers have also started taking online courses on various topics. Apart from public speaking digital course designing can also become an exciting career.

● Various authors such as Devdutt Pattnaik, Chetan Bhagat, actors from television or the big screen have started using Instagram or Facebook live feature to promote their books new TV series or films respectively or just interact their followers.

Citizen science and Science Communication Science

While surfing the internet you may have come across videos with millions 0f views explaining various scientific concepts or debunking common myths about science or answering possible questions which science hasn’t answered yet, and these may be done by content creators who are not professional scientists themselves but amateurs with a zeal and curiosity for the subject. There are also examples of people with post graduate degrees in science choosing to make career as subject experts in various conferences or content creators on social media explaining various scientific phenomenon.

Citizen science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs.

Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments.

Examples of people making a career out of this are:

● Sunny Joseph a hobby photographer based in Kochi, Kerala has been instrumental in discovery of Silver Simon spider and was also credited as the co-author in a research paper.

● Pradeepta Mohanty, an engineer based in Madhya Pradesh, discovered a galaxy merger while analysing raw data from all-sky surveys by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research’s (TIFR’s) Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope for the RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory citizen science project. This later became part of a 2016 research paper on tracking galaxy evolution published in the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy.

● ‘Beach Profile Monitoring Program’ a project in which citizens are involved in recording different characteristics such as slope, width and sand grain size and type on a regular basis to map changes in the profile of a beach over time, in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

● Various educators are involved in taking workshops of school or college students through virtual means on various topics such as bird watching, wild life conservation, geology etc.

● NASA’s citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public. Through these collaborations, volunteers (known as citizen scientists) have helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries.

● The CitSci India Conference for Biodiversity is hosted as part of the preparatory phase project of the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being (NMBHWB).

● The conference is a virtual meeting of various stakeholders such as practitioners of citizen science, researchers, educators, students, policy makers, and individual contributors, who actively engage in citizen science.

● At the same time, citizen science projects are also facing certain challenges. These include financial sustainability, using tools and mechanisms of Citizen Science projects in formal regulatory systems, sustaining citizen participation to realize its full potential, ensuring good quality data and issues relating to data ownership and conditions for use etc.

● People with graduate degrees in science have also made a career in organising nature walks, consulting with various gaming design corporations on animal and plant behaviour.

Influencer Culture

Since the early 2000s, social media has become an integral part of people’s lives. As the social media landscape has grown over time, influencers started to make a distinct hit in the market around 2010 with an even bigger boom down the road in 2015.

An influencer is someone who has built a loyal following through online channels and content creation. This term has greater meaning now compared to when influencer culture came to life, becoming a buzzword for anyone in the industry. Influencers are often found across multiple social media platforms and have particular interests, ranging from food, fashion, travel, lifestyle and more.

The beginning of influencer culture eventually transformed into what many people know as influencer marketing. As influencers build their following and create a bond with their audience, they become more valuable to brands. These brands latch onto influencers, forming partnerships and promoting products, typically through social media outlets, that result in increased brand awareness.

Since apps like Instagram and TikTok have surpassed some of the longer-standing social media platforms, influencer culture has grown and become more prominent over time. Influencers have increased engagement among users through creating new, original content that resonates with their followers. Whether it’s a clothing haul, food review or a simple brand overview, influencers invite their followers to join in and become part of their lives, while subtly becoming familiar with the brand they are promoting. Since influencers can come from anywhere and talk about anything, they typically have diverse fan bases that allow access to different and new networks. Additionally, this allows greater opportunities for brands to broaden their target market and ultimately increase brand value.

The value of influencer partnerships has rapidly increased, especially as we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen brands make a variety of adjustments to continue positioning themselves in a positive light through dark times. Despite the repercussions and challenges, influencers have a unique placement as the middle man (or woman!) between brands and their audience, allowing room for a company to flourish.

Influencer marketing is unique from traditional marketing because there is room for freedom in creation. Brands have a loosened grip on how the influencer will promote, making content sharing more natural and personalized. Influencers are often encouraged by brands to create their content genuinely. While offering guidelines and communicating brand information is important, authenticity wins by a landslide. The real-life messages displayed through social channels by influencers increase attraction and bring attention to the brand itself.

Providing relatable content through the organic flow of information is where influencers thrive. Becoming aware of the value of authentic relationships between brands and influencers often allows room to show their personality. With a genuine representation of a brand and its products, influencers allow their followers to see real-life products at work. Preserving authenticity is the key to successful promotion and positive feedback from the public.

Social media has clearly changed the demands of the labour market. From working as a public speaker to teaching students virtually from the comfort of your own homes, working in digital marketing, managing social media accounts of various brands, fulfilling the dream of talking about science to an audience through social medias or working as citizen researcher or choosing a non-conventional career such as social media influencing has been made possible by the advent of digital age in India.

Therefore, as change is the only constant, to increase your chances of placement in a field related to the social media you need to learn new skills, be open to new experiences, maintain your own individuality and move with the world.