The #SocialKenyans

The #SocialKenyans; a Documentary on Social Media by @SocialAfrika

Social networking has become integral to the lives of many (research shows it’s harder to resist than sex), to zoom in on Kenya; users of social media represent the most influential and economically able section of the population. This number continues to grow especially as access to the Internet’s tool of choice, the mobile phone, makes astronomical inroads even in areas considered remote. 

This tremendous growth of social media in business and communication has necessitated us to conceptualize a TV documentary on this industry dubbed “The Social Kenyans”. This documentary shall feature outstanding social media enthusiasts & influencers, developers, artistes, bloggers, industry analysts, key people and organizations as well as memorable events that have made significant contributions and at the same time appreciate and acknowledge those who have immensely contributed to the growth of social media in Kenya. 

This is an initiative of SocialPRO clubs under Social Edge Africa whose core objective is to teach, educate, create awareness and impart knowledge & skills of various disciplines of social media and platforms to the public. This documentary is in line with the mission of the clubs whose mandate is to develop a talent pool with solid understanding of new media to bridge the knowledge gap and demand there is today for people with skills and expertise in various disciplines of social media especially. 

This documentary will mainly have five parts as demonstrated below.

Part one; The past, history and growth (Key events, growth in stats, people, factors & major players that have contributed to this astronomical growth)

Part two; The current- Adoption in Business & Communication (Who is/has done what & where on social media in the recent past, the campaigns and other notable efforts on social media) Plus the integration of social media into business operations and departments across various industries & sectors and NGO’s in the economy. 

Part three; The people & Entities (influential social media enthusiasts, developers, bloggers, social media managers, artistes, creatives and designers who have been behind some of the greatest concepts, campaigns, initiatives and trending topics to share their stories. This is meant to get the public to learn how they do it, to inspire and expose others to the opportunities, possibilities as well as explain the skills needed, education and what one requires for certain careers in new media.) & organizations (digital, mobile and other agencies) that are major players in this space.

Part four: The threats, challenges and best practices. Here we get expert opinions on ethics, etiquette and best practices approach as well as look at the threats & actions or behaviour that may lead to legal actions. We shall also highlight on the systems, policies and guidelines in place in various institutions (Government, private sector and not for private organizations). We’ll also feature common challenges brands face and get expert opinions. This part seeks to promote responsible ways of engaging on social media as well as educate Kenyans on social media etiquette and ethical ways of communicating online for societal good.

Part five: The future finally we’ll look at the future of social media in Kenya and in Africa generally. Here we shall get opinions from the public, industry analysts, government institutions, and major player’s e.g. mobile service providers, universities on probability of offering courses or majors in new/social/mobile media and basically major players in the growth of this industry. We shall also focus on how to overcome the threats & challenges as highlighted in part four.

While face-to-face and traditional media is just as important as it ever was, now we've got new tools and platforms that let us tighten bonds with our key publics. Thus I think it’s safe to say that brands & individuals investing in better having direct contact with their publics that were previously unreachable now will most definitely have an advantage over those that wait and see what happens to this ‘social media’

Based on the above you can be part of this project in the following ways

    1.    Suggest or recommend names of individuals, events, past trending topics or organizations that you would want featured on the documentary.

    2.    If you’d like your company, employer or you to be on the documentary to share your lessons, opinion or insights do let us know.

    3.    You can support this non-profit initiative financially as a brand or individual and we shall feature you & recognize your special contribution on the documentary.

    4.    You can support this shoot by offering technical support by providing data & research, time or your ideas.

    5.    You could also send us a partnership request so we work on this jointly (We have a special package for our partners and corporate sponsors).

    6.   Finally you can share this post on social media and let your friends know that it’s coming soon on a local TV station using #SocialKenyans. 

Muthuri Kinyamu works at Social Edge Africa the firm behind @SocialPROclubs and you can follow him on Twitter @KenyanMarketer 
 

For more information, inquiries or contributions kindly send an email to Muthurikinyamu@gmail.com