Former Factory Worker Emerges As Fastest-Growing Content Creator Without Speaking At All
Jul 02, 2021 by apost team
In the digital age of social media, many people are deciding to leave the traditional 9-to-5 job behind and opting for a less conventional way of making a living. One common avenue for the younger generation of adults is to pursue a career making content online. The popular short-form video platform, TikTok, is one way someone can gain an internet following and make money.
Khabane Lame is a 21-year-old from the industrial town called Chivasso, which is located in northern Italy. He was a factory worker until he lost his job in March 2020, and now he is an international sensation. Lame makes TikTok videos reacting to other people's content, and it has earned him over 76 million followers.
What Lame does is find "life hack" and other how-to videos and reacts to the overly complicated nature of the content. He makes facial expressions and gestures but does not use his words to mock the silly and often viral videos. He will then film himself performing the tasks in a more simple or straightforward manner to point out how ridiculous they are.
Lame is on his way to being the fastest-growing creator on TikTok. Another reason for his success is that his videos span generations of viewers, meaning there is no one age group that can relate to and enjoy his work. For example, everyone can laugh at opening a banana with a knife because it is so easy to peel it with your hands. These are the types of videos Lame is reacting to on TikTok.
Speaking with The New York Times, Lame said the reason his videos are so popular is that they are funny. "It's my face and my expressions which make people laugh," he explained.
"His content almost debunks or mocks the overproduced trends that happen across social media, whether it's life hacks or other things like that. He almost represents this authenticity over production. I think that's very appealing at scale to people, this feeling of someone not trying too hard, it's something that feels authentic," said Samir Chaudry, a founder of The Publish Press, which is a newsletter that covers the creator economy.
He continued, "This opportunity to connect with someone who is unaffiliated, underproduced, and feels very real is a juxtaposition of what we're seeing in the social media space." Lame has become a sort of everyman on TikTok, and other small creators can look up to his success because he is so genuine.
One benefit of having such a large platform is Lame can speak up about topics that are important to him. For instance, he has lived in Italy since he was 1, but he still isn't legally recognized as an Italian citizen. So far, he hasn't had any issues not carrying an Italian passport, but who knows if it might complicate things in the future.
One thing is certain; Lame has a good attitude about the situation. "Sincerely, I don't need a piece of paper to define myself as Italian," he stated to The New York Times. "I'm not a mayor, I'm no one. I can't change the laws." Then Lame added with a smile:
"Maybe I can change it with the popularity. With my influence."
apost.com
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