The Importance Of Social Media To The Entertainment Industry

For a very long time, I've watched the entertainment sphere in Nigeria and I discovered that very great attention has been placed on social media.
Almost every Nigerian who has got access to a mobile or smartphone regardless of age grade, is a member or makes use of social media platforms which includes Facebook, BBM, Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, YouTube, IMO to mention the most popular.
Information dissemination, interactions, Brand advertising, Marketing e.t.c have been made easy with the advent of Social media.
Brands, Buyers, Sellers, Marketers, Advertisers, Organizations, Businesses, Labels, Artists, Outfits get to reach out to a wide range of audience with the help of social media.
Just by getting people to follow on Instagram or Twitter, Liking a page on Facebook, Subscribing to a YouTube or BBM Channel your works reach out to a wide variety of people.
Keeping it's demerits aside, social media platforms are of a very high importance to persons in the Entertainment industry from Musicians to Comedians to Dancers to DJ's to VJ's to Bloggers to Models to Record Labels and what have you, Social media possesses a whole load of opportunity waiting to be explored.
What is entertainment without publicity? Social media platforms, due to the rise of people joining them, offers publicity in a huge dimension.
In times before now, If a song isn't on a CD or Cassette nobody gets to listen to it, If your album isn't on a CD, no one gets to hear it, As a result songs go only where they can be transported to, the cost of transporting and distributing was very much great even at that, not everyone would be willing to buy your song.
Dancers and the dancing career suffered so much neglect, Comedy, even was nothing to write home about.
Nobody got to know your skill or what you do except they come in contact with you.
But thanks to social media, you get people to know about you and what you do without even knowing who they are.
With social media you get to interact with people from different parts of the globe right from the comfort of your home.
You don't have to get on the streets trying to sell your CD when there are websites and blogs that now serves as portals for music downloads. Who cares about buying CD's when I can get a complete album online.
The idea of "Your work goes as far as your proximity to your audience" is over. You could be in Nigeria and get people from the United States to see your work and know what you do.
Some businesses are founded online, Record labels, Modelling Outfits, Dance Academies, e.t.c have got Social media accounts, you can find almost everything online.
Many celebrities today had their lucky break by making use of social media. Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Lil-Kesh, Dremo, Mayorkun, to mention but a few, got signed they shared videos of themselves doing things related to their craft on social media.
The entertainment industry got better than when social media was embraced. It keeps getting better as more people get on them.
In outlined points, the importance of social media are:-

1. Quick, easy and efficient dissemination of information

2. Limitless means of interaction
3. Access to goods and services.
4. Explicit Publicity

5. Fast build-up of Fan base

6. Fact-finding portal

7. Exclusive Advertising

8. Let-in to Celebrity lifestyles

And many more. Clearly the importance of social media are too catchy to be neglected. Exploring and exploiting it brings immense benefits.