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WorklifeIndia: Coronavirus lockdown: Impact on influencer economy

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Coronavirus lockdown: Impact on influencer economy

17/04/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - WorklifeIndia, Coronavirus lockdown: Impact on influencer economy

How is India's lockdown affecting people who make their money from social media?

As India extends stay-at-home orders to fight the coronavirus outbreak, social media usage has seen a huge spike. According to a recent study, Indians are spending more than four hours every day on social media - nearly an 87% increase since before the lockdown.

So social media influencers are faced with the difficult challenge of delivering fresh content and making money, despite severe restrictions on movement. 

Experts say the economic impact of coronavirus is starting to bite and may lead to a 15-25 per cent drop in what influencers earn for sponsored posts while events get cancelled and businesses trim budgets. Travel influencers are particularly hit by an industry-wide meltdown as nearly 75 million jobs are at risk worldwide - one in eight of them in India - according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

So, how significant are the challenges in the near term? And what are social media influencers doing to cope with the lockdown?
#WorklifeIndia looks at the best ways that influencers are finding to create fresh content and their shift to alternative strategies to avoid lockdown blues.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Prajakta Koli, MostlySane content creator; Ankita Kumar, travel content creator; Harish Bijoor, brand and business strategy consultant

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