In a time when the phone is no longer just a means of communication, but has become a work tool and a source of income, direct broadcasting, or what is known as “Live,” has emerged as one of the most prominent manifestations of digital transformation that has reshaped young people’s relationship with work and profit. Through platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, any user can turn into a content creator who communicates directly with the audience and generates profits through interaction, digital gifts, and views.
In recent years, a number of young Algerians have emerged who have been able to turn content creation into a real source of income, whether through electronic marketing, displaying local products, providing reviews of phones and technologies, producing entertainment and cultural content, or benefiting from advertisements and digital gifts provided by the platforms.
Some of them also succeeded in building small projects that started from the phone only, before they turned into mini-enterprises that employ assistants in photography, editing, and marketing, which reflects the economic potential made available by the digital economy.
However, this bright side does not negate the presence of another side that raises a lot of controversy. There are those who have reservations about this type of profit, given that some accounts rely on exaggerated excitement, use degrading language, or publish indecent or controversial stories, pictures, and scenes, with the aim of raising viewership rates and attracting the largest number of followers and digital gifts.
Specialists believe that this behavior has resulted in a feverish race towards the “trend,” even at the expense of values and morals, especially with the ease of achieving rapid spread through shocking or provocative content.
In this context, recent months have witnessed repeated interventions by the security services against a number of semi-influencers and content makers, against the backdrop of publishing content that was considered offensive to public modesty or in violation of the law, or included offensive language, or incitement to objectionable behavior, within the framework of campaigns aimed at cleaning the digital space of practices that affect public order and social values.
On the other hand, observers confirm that circulating this image remains unfair, because the Algerian digital scene also includes respectable models who were able to gain the public’s trust through purposeful content. There are content makers who provide videos to introduce Algerian tourist areas and promote domestic tourism, and others who publish advice on health, nutrition, and sports, or provide educational and training lessons, and scientific and technical reviews, in addition to specialized content in entrepreneurship, languages, and self-development, which has made them widely followed inside and outside Algeria.
Among these visions, live broadcasting remains a digital space open to great opportunities and real challenges. At the same time, it imposes the need to spread a culture of responsible content and encourage initiatives that provide added value to society, so that the digital economy turns into a lever for development and innovation, not just a race after views and quick profits.
“Live has brought about a profound transformation in the concept of traditional work.”
A few years ago, establishing a business or launching a marketing activity required owning a store in a strategic location. Today, digital platforms have changed this equation, as a smartphone and Internet connection have become sufficient to reach thousands of followers and achieve sales via live broadcast.
The expert in media and digitization technologies at the University of Algiers 3, Dr. Nadir Khalfallah, confirms that “Live” has brought about a profound transformation in the concept of traditional work, and has changed the methods of marketing, trade, and content creation.
The spokesman explained to Al-Khabar that live broadcasting is no longer just a means of entertainment, but has turned into a source of livelihood for a wide segment of Algerian youth, as many of them have created simple home studios, equipped them with photography and lighting, and turned them into spaces for launching content and marketing products.
He pointed out that the success of this activity depends mainly on direct interaction with the public, by responding to comments and answering followers’ inquiries, which has created a new style of marketing based on immediate communication and direct persuasion.
Despite the wide spread of the content industry, the expert believes that it is still an unstable profession, because its income is linked to changing factors, most notably the interests of the audience and the policies of digital platforms and their algorithms. The content creator may achieve significant profits during a certain period, but he remains vulnerable to their decline or interruption with any change in the platform’s operating mechanisms, which makes it a more fragile profession compared to traditional jobs.
Regarding profit mechanisms, Khalaf Allah explained that platforms such as “Tik Tok” and “YouTube” rely on electronic gifts, where users buy digital currencies that they send during the live broadcast, while the platform deducts part of their value and transfers the rest to the content creator. Profits are also linked to the number of views and the level of interaction, making the audience an essential element in the live broadcast economy.
He pointed out that algorithms have become the decisive factor in the success or failure of any live broadcast, as they monitor from the first minutes the number of comments and likes and the length of time viewers stay, and then decide the extent to which the spread of the content is expanded or limited. This is why many content creators are keen to ensure a strong start to the broadcast, and some of them even use close followers to create an initial interaction that gives the algorithm positive indicators that help it reach a wider audience.
He added that the platforms also exercise a kind of “hidden control” over the distribution of views, as they promote content that achieves greater interaction and profits, and may reduce the spread of other content if it sees that it does not achieve its goals or may affect its image, while the details of these algorithms remain within the secrets of the companies that own the platforms.
The expert emphasized that success in live broadcasting does not necessarily require technical specialization, as much as it requires good management of interaction with the audience and providing content capable of attracting viewers and maintaining their interest.
Khalfallah concluded by emphasizing that the biggest beneficiary of the live broadcast economy remains the digital platforms themselves, due to the huge profits they achieve through commissions, advertisements, and the exploitation of data related to users’ behavior and interests.
On the other hand, the content creator remains the party most vulnerable to psychological and technical pressures, because he is constantly required to produce attractive content and bear the processing costs, at a time when the platform can reduce the spread of his content or block his account at any moment in accordance with its internal policies.
