The rise of the digital age has brought several thriving online careers with it. Chief amongst them is the proliferation of content creation. Social media influencers, YouTubers, podcasters, TikTokers, and niche bloggers can now earn a living literally by being themselves, just on a grand scale. But as the digital economy expands, so does the cost of staying online. The data crisis threatens to slow the growth of Nigerian content creators, not only posing an issue to their digital flow but also to their creative streak.
Data Costs Are Breaking the Content Creation Model
For the average Nigerian content creator, data is more necessary than any other tool in their arsenal. They need it to upload videos, livestream content, research trends, attend virtual meetings, and engage with their audience in real time. However, with data becoming a significant monthly expenditure, thanks to the substantial 50% increase in data costs earlier this year, creators often find themselves spending more on staying online than they earn from brand deals or platform monetisation, especially those who are just starting.
Additionally, lower bandwidths and network capacities mixed in with poor infrastructure quality mesh to make the speed of data another issue, meaning even at times when people are able to empty their pockets for a month of data, the speed or service required to make that data work is not provided. This makes the hurdles towards becoming a content creator too great for many, dwindling the sector before it even properly takes off.
Data Crisis in Rural Areas Is Killing Inclusion
The data crisis doesn’t hit everyone equally. In urban cities like Lagos or Abuja, creators have better connectivity with access to things like fibre optics. But outside the major cities, where there are fewer masts and limited broadband penetration, uploading a single video can take hours (that is, if the network even allows it).
This data crisis is pushing digital inclusion even further out of reach. A talented creator in Bauchi or Akwa Ibom may never get a chance to compete with someone in Lekki, not because of talent, but because of how long it takes to load an app. Nigeria’s digital divide, worsened by the data crisis, is creating a class system in the creator economy.
How Some Creators Are Navigating the Data Crisis
Nigerians are known for their resilience, and the content community is no exception. Some creators have begun batch-creating and uploading during nighttime when data tends to be faster, and others are building micro-communities on WhatsApp or Telegram where engagement requires less data than mainstream platforms.
Still, these ways to circumvent the system shouldn’t be so. They don’t proffer any long-term solutions, and even workarounds have a limit to how far forward they can push you. If creators are forced to invest more in surviving the system than creating within it, innovation and originality will suffer.
What Needs to Change for Content Creation to Thrive
Telcos and ISPs need to buckle up for the future of data in Nigeria. Content creation is no longer just entertainment; it’s employment, it’s education, and it’s enterprise. There should be creator-focused data packages, better broadband rollout across the country, and more transparency in data pricing.
The Nigerian government also has a role to play in addressing the data crisis through policy. Investments in affordable internet, regulation of telecoms, and digital literacy programmes must go hand in hand with ambitions for a growing digital economy.
Conclusion: Can Creativity Outrun the Data Crisis?
Right now, Nigeria’s creators are still going, against all odds, but they don’t need to feel like they’re playing a losing game. The data crisis may not make headlines, but its impact on the everyday creator is just as significant. Without affordable and reliable access to the internet, the victories of many will be limited.
The answer to sustainability lies in the Nigerian system giving creators access to speedy, affordable data that they deserve.
What do you think of the data crisis in Nigeria? Is it a hindrance for content creators, or will they thrive regardless? Share your thoughts!
