In the bustling world of Indian content creation, the northeastern region often gets overlooked. There are very few content creators from the Northeast you can think off the top of your head.
The digital tapestry of these states is not explored by the audience due to the limited digital infrastructure and there are fewer content creators because of lack of support from the platform or brands. Travel and lifestyle content creator Bhaskar Dutta who hails from a village named Sivasagar in Assam that’s 380 km away from the famous city of Guhawati, is popular among the people of that region but gets shielded by the larger audience from all over India. Being one of the pioneers of travel content creation in Assam, Bhaskar feels like he has come a long way and built a community of passionate people like him in the state but the pathway that they have created is yet to be walked on by many people. “We aren't able to reach the masses because of the difficulty of limited infrastructure and connectivity in certain areas, making travel and logistics more challenging for content creation.” It is also true that content creation is in its cocoon stage in these locations. Where the cultural diversity and the unique landscapes offer a plethora of areas to be tapped into, the lack of internet knowledge in many areas proves to be a hindrance amongst the people of the states themselves.
“It is still hard for the people here to digest the fact that content creation can be a good career option as well,” emphasises Yoopa Rebe, a wellness and lifestyle content creator from Seppa, Arunachal Pradesh. The paucity of support for this stream forces you to do everything on your own which is also a good thing but makes you less focused on your main job and that sometimes is a drawback for the growth. “There are lots of unseen struggles we face as content creators in the North East. As for me, I'm being my 'one woman army' to manage my profile by being my manager, editor, photographer, and videographer because it is not easy to find people who are diverse in my state,” says content creator Linatoli Chishi who goes by the platform name Casi Humanos. She hails from the land of festivals - Nagaland.
When asked if brands are willing to collaborate with creators from the North East, this is what they had to say. All these struggles that the creators face ultimately lead to a patch in brand collaborations. Brands read numbers before closing any deal and technically due to the not-so-diverse audience, we have less CTR (click-through rates) and CPC (cost per click) which end up in less remunerations from the brands, according to Bhaskar. Casi believes that while it takes a lot of effort from ideation to execution, at times the paid deal is negotiated at a very low price due to their location. The problem continues when the creators from the North East are paid less than the creators from other states but Yoopa is of the opinion that sometimes they even miss out on barter deals because brand PR packages are unreachable to most of the towns due to fewer courier services in the interior part of the states.
When asked what needs to change, this is what they said. As creators, all of them believe that content creation can truly outshine these states because of the authenticity and purity it provides to the world. Many untold stories are yet to be recited and many things are yet to be discovered by the people. This is only possible if the platform supports more original and unique content that is connected to the roots. Encouragingly, there needs to be a desire for the people of the Northeast to broaden their content palate, embracing a variety of genres. The vision extends beyond the mundane, urging individuals to explore and appreciate the richness of different content forms. By fostering a culture that values and supports good content creation, this region can embark on a journey towards a more enlightened and diversified digital landscape, enhancing the overall content consumption experience for content creators, brands, and audiences.
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This article was first published in the Social Ketchup Magazine Januaryv 2024 letedition.
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