By Chinenye Anuforo
It is more than two months since the deadly Coronavirus made Nigerians like other people of the world weary of public places. The death toll keeps increasing, and although a significant recovery success rate is being recorded, the mention of COVID-19 remains a dreadful one.
To this end, more Nigerians are taking to other means to get themselves busy and keep up with both formal and informal daily activities to make ends meet. The average time spent on social media platforms have hit record highs, with users relying on the likes Instagram, Vskit, Zoom, Twitter, Netflix, YouTube and others to keep busy and entertained while staying indoors.
Video sharing platforms have mainly seen a steady and geometric rise in their usage, with short video apps stealing the day by taking a significant chunk of the attention of young social media users seeking witty and informative content to consume. Taking into consideration the increasing short-attention span of Gen-Zers and Millennials, one can understand why apps like Vskit are becoming the order of the day.
Fun revellers, entertainers and short video makers have taken to Vskit which appears to be the emerging tailor-made app for Africans when it comes to skit making.
“Vskit offers several unique features which has led to its adoption by millions of young Nigerians who love to create video skits, whether comic acts, singing, dancing or just goofing around. The app’s ease at sharing content on other social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has also kept users entangled to it as the world continues to battle the virus”, said Sean Shu, Vskit Nigeria Marketing Manager. “The platform has seen an increasing number of celebrity entertainers signing up on Vskit to leverage the platform’s reach to increase their content views and grow their fan base. Artistes are taking advantage of the video sharing app to promote new and old musical deliveries while the comic acts are strategically pushing out content to the excitement of their followers. Comic acts and music artistes such as Mr. Macaroni, BRed, Taaooma, Iyanya, Small Doctor, Ikorodu Bois, are but a few of many popular names actively using and engaging their fans on Vskit”, Sean said.
Brands are also jumping on the short video trend, using Vskit as a marketing medium to gain, reach and engage their followers. The live launch of the Infinix Note 7 which took place very recently is a typical example. Vskit wowed Nigerians as the app witnessed massive traffic from people who were interested in the smartphone launch and looking to experience the fun and pleasure of having Davido, Ini Edo, Nancy Isime, Patoranking and MC Lively all at one online event. “A product launch being held in an offline location, definitely won’t take as much capacity as seen on Vskit online figures a few weeks ago. This, without a doubt, is a digital solution for brands during and after the pandemic.” Sean also mentioned.
Olivia, a 23-year-old active user on Vskit was more than excited about the app. “I have a lot of friends on the app and I get to catch up on what’s going on in their lives now since we don’t get to see often. I also watch a lot of funny short videos from my favourite comedians and celebrities, and I share my fun side on the app too.”said Olivia.
Another unique thing especially for the fans, followers of celebrities and other regular users of the video making and sharing app, is the numerous challenges which comes with mouthwatering rewards that constantly come up on the app. The most recent challenge by TECNO, the #CamonBeautyMode which sees users walk away with one of the 15 Camon 15 smartphones to be given away or a whopping 1 million naira to the grand prize winner, has caught the wide attention and excitement of users who have participated in challenge in huge numbers. The #CamonBeautyMode campaign, an ongoing partnership between TECNO and Vskit has been viewed over 43,018,900 times, with an outstanding audience reach of 3,013,280.
Video sharing apps like Vskit have become life savers for many users amidst these challenging CoronaTimes, and sources predict that the adoption of video sharing and digital platforms will continue to rise for the foreseeable future.