Regulate social media, not ban – Oti Ukubeyinje
By Felicia Nwosu
With social media users still basking in the euphoria of the World Social Media Day celebration which held recently on 30th June the world over, a professional icon in the Integrated Marketing Communication industry, Oti Ukubeyinje, Vice President, Product Marketing and Growth, Terragon Group, has said that it is better to have the social media regulated instead of total ban of the platforms.
Mr. Ukubeyinje stated this during an exclusive interview with MARKETING EDGE. Noting some of the contributions and impacts of social media to brands and individuals, he said that the introduction of the first social media platform, Friendster, in 2002, which paved the way for others and described it as the new era of digital communication.
He observed that as a digital professional, the introduction of social media signified the celebration of democracy in marketing. He stated that social media has pulled down the barriers of marketing, and instead, gave everybody the ability to be a marketer, irrespective of class or educational background.
He believed that social media has done an extreme make-over in the face of marketing. “It has redefined marketing, as content first, and audience next. It is the defining element of digital marketing because; a huge chunk of it is social media-dependent today.”
Reacting to the rumoured move by the government to ban social media, Oti stated that it is not going to be easy to get an outright ban. He, however, advised that regulation will be more feasible. He observed that there has been a total serial revolution in the digital space with disruption of one platform after the other. He is optimistic that different social media platforms will continue to exist for brands to access and leverage.
The digital expert advised that brands should look at social media holistically, find their voice, and remain ethical, as well as to align with the regulations of the land. He urged business owners not to restrict themselves to one platform but explore as many platforms as possible so as to help to engage consumers. He charged platform users to use social media in a more fun but ethical way and be empathetic to the users that they are engaging with.
He agreed that social media is going to be in the hands of creators, just as much as it has been in the hands of the people. According to him, this is because content will always rule.
His words: “It is content first; if there is no content, there won’t be activity on social media, and there won’t be social media users.”
The Terragon Group VP maintained that platforms are already struggling to deal with the fact that less than 20% of their users are actual contributors. He therefore emphasised that social media platforms are struggling for a share of eyeballs and a share of time or screen time, which is based on content.
“The power will continue to be in the hands of creators, the creator community is increasingly growing and very lucrative with a massive net worth, they are key to the survival of social media because most individuals do not contribute, they just consume.”
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