“It was the realisation that there was a tangible shift from reading to viewing that led to the change. From 2010 onwards people started watching more than reading. And, with Jio revolutionising internet access, there was a dramatic increase in video consumption.” Malayalam food vlogger Ebbin Jose remembers the motivation behind his now popular YouTube channel Food and Travel. With over 700,000 subscribers, Jose is among the hundreds of regional content creators who have carved out a niche for themselves in the digital world. Since YouTube launched in 2005 the platform has seen phenomenal growth as it democratised access to content for millions of users all over the world. But in the last decade, the platform has shifted clearly towards content creators, thus democratising content creation too. Anyone with an idea, and an interesting perspective on things shone bright. Travel vlogs, cooking shows, dance tutorials, DIYs and how-to videos exploded on YouTube and that too in different languages. “I did not start the vlog purposefully. I worked in Africa for 16 years and I always enjoyed travelling. After I returned to India, my initial plan was to write about my travel experiences. I started off with a vlog in English known as Jaunt Monkey. It was exclusively for travel and didn't have any food videos. Later, some of my friends requested me to do the same in Malayalam,” remembers Jose, now a familiar face to most Malayalis. Unlike the popular genre of hyperbole on the platform, Jose’s success stems from his calm demeanour and affable way of explaining food, ingredients and destinations. “About 99 per cent of my viewers give positive feedback, and they understand what I do. However, there may be some who may occasionally post negative comments.” A YouTube Impact Report based on an analysis by Oxford Economics claims the platform contributed over Rs 10,000 crore to India’s GDP and supported over 7.5 lakh full-time equivalent jobs in the country. The report states there are over 4,500 channels with over 10 lakh subscribers. The number of channels generating a revenue of Rs 1 lakh or more rose to over 60 per cent year-over-year in 2021. The numbers are a testament to the rising importance of YouTube as a platform offering a diverse range of content across genres and languages. Language of creativity Jose’s move to start vlogging in his mother tongue was incidental. However, for many others, creating content in their native language offers greater freedom, more creativity and wider reach among their communities. Seetharaman from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, says his biggest motivation to create content in his own language was to deliver quality and informative tech videos to those who speak and understand Tamil. “Starting it in my mother tongue also helped me to be more creative and deliver the content quite effectively,” he says. For the young YouTuber, the biggest challenge was investing in recently launched products as he began his journey with videos that he created using his smartphone and later moved on to editing videos on a laptop handed out by the Tamil Nadu Government. “YouTube gave me the opportunity and freedom to create content on things that interest me. Platforms like these have also become a great way to generate income for many like us,” says Seetharaman whose YouTube Channel has over 1.2 million subscribers. Seetharaman says his content focuses on tech and information and believes his audiences have grown to appreciate his unique style that is laced with humour. “My audience enjoys my style and finds it helpful. They really engage with the content and share it with their friends and family.” Breaking the glass ceiling Poulami Nag’s YouTube channel Hothat Jodi Uthlo Kotha (roughly translated as ‘if it suddenly came up') is a Bengali channel dedicated to fact-based stories – the channel description says the main objective is to start conversations around cultural, political and social topics. Nag, a Kolkata-based journalist, who is impressed with the explainer content genre, found that for the most part, viewers would have to opt for legacy media houses for regional content. This is when Nag realised the need to create more options for Bengali viewers. Although her unique take on current topics have made her a popular name among Bengali creators, it was not an easy journey. Just as in any other profession, content creators have their own share of challenges. For Nag, her biggest strengths were also her biggest challenge. These challenges included being a woman working solely in her mother tongue on a popular platform, and the apprehension that Bengali content would attract similar opportunities as their English counterpart. Nag’s lucid narration on current topics struck a chord with her audience. “I started with an idea and currently, I have a reach of around 10 lakh people across platforms. It’s been a steep journey but with the early-mover advantage and a little bit of persistence, this has been a journey of rewarding returns,” says Nag who believes that YouTube has had a huge impact on the trajectory of regional content creators. Nag feels the regional audience base is rapidly growing and this calls for greater proficiency in one’s mother tongue. “Patience and persistence are the two magic words in this space.” From Farm To YouTube Today, there are millions of content creators and the number is rapidly growing with each passing hour. Users across various cultural backgrounds, age, and geography are pushing content on a plethora of genres. While photography, travel vlogs, food, luxury, tech and fitness channels, video sharing platforms are giving way to newer kinds of content. Manjunatha hadn’t given much thought to the traditional way of farming followed by his family. But while working at a travel agency he came across international delegates who raved about the Indian way of farming. The exchange inspired Manjunatha to create his own channel Krishivaani in Kannada to educate people about agriculture and create awareness about social media and modern farming techniques among farmers. It wasn’t easy. In his initial days, the lack of appropriate equipment and applications to make videos and the dearth of information posed a challenge for Manjunatha. “I learned a lot from my friends and family and also through Google and YouTube. Once I got used to the applications and had the content in place, things got much simpler and easy. But the biggest challenge was technical awareness, equipment, and finding a suitable resource,” says the Bengaluru-resident who now has over 57,000 dedicated subscribers. Finding one’s voice More than comfort or confidence, for Mukta Narvekar from Kolhapur, it was the boundless love for her mother tongue Marathi that prompted her to embark on her YouTube journey. Narvekar asserts that her language is her identity and that she is an avid reader of Marathi literature. Navrekar feels she is fortunate to fuse both her areas of interests - Marathi and travel into a YouTube channel that is offering informative travel content. Hailing from a small town, Navrekar says her biggest challenge was to find her own voice and niche. According to her, embracing her small-town roots was one of the biggest milestones that led her to where she is today. In a sea of travel vloggers, Navrekar stands out with her emphasis on offbeat places that offer authentic experiences. “Travel as a genre has grown a lot in the past few years. I have seen a shift of audience attention from touristy popular places to offbeat, raw but authentic experiences. People want to see local cultures and are curious about simple village life,” says Navrekar, who has over 108 million subscribers. Her videos offer glimpses of the lesser explored rural life and foods. Naverekar feels platforms such as YouTube offer a level-playing field and that it has empowered many creators who hail from small towns and the rural landscapes of India. But she is convinced that honesty is the key. “Be honest and respect your audience's time. It should never be about just creating videos.” A thriving ecosystem Setting up one’s channel may be fairly easy, however, delivering quality content is a mammoth task as creators are expected to have unique ideas and the technical prowess to translate them into easily consumable content. According to Jose, one video may generate a revenue of up to Rs 10,000. The equipment, sound tech, and crew, all come with a cost. Creators balance their offering between free and paid content to ensure an upbeat revenue stream. Recalling his earlier days, Jose said there have been instances where he and his crew were shooed away and called freeloaders. “Most of my videos are based on the recommendations that we get from our viewers. Although there were logistical issues in the initial days, now the overwhelming response keeps us going,” says Jose. Regardless of the challenges and pitfalls, most creators like Jose agree the outcome is rewarding in more ways than one.
