In normal days, when people want to travel, dine, or shop for anything, many young people’s habit is to check out where the most famous KOLs/Influencers on social media are going, what they are eating, and which products they are “crazy about.” Referring to information from popular personalities with interesting lifestyles is a reasonable choice and helps you know what is currently trendy.
KOLs/Influencers also earn a significant income through attending events and receiving advertisements from various brands.
However, this was the story before the Covid-19 pandemic complicated globally. Currently, like many other professions, influencers have generally “frozen” all activities. When brands are not spending much on advertising during this time, and events cannot be organized, KOLs/Influencers lose many PR contracts. Additionally, they face challenges in producing new content due to the need to limit social contact to reduce the risk of disease transmission.
In light of the overall difficult situation, many KOLs/Influencers must find ways to adapt, change their content production direction, or temporarily rest while waiting for everything to return to normal. Nevertheless, everyone strives to maintain a positive spirit and spread positive energy to others through their influential posts.
“All activities frozen, income reduced by 50% – 80%”
Giang Ơi – a famous YouTuber – shared that she had to cancel about 50% of her contracts due to the impact of the pandemic. She revealed, “When complex developments occurred, we proactively contacted partners to express our willingness to support postponing or canceling contracts without compensation if they wished. Fortunately, despite the canceled contracts, some partners still want to carry out projects as planned. So currently, I am completing these tasks.”
YouTuber Anh Bạn Thân Trị Nguyễn – Giang Ơi’s husband – also mentioned that nearly all of his work is also being postponed while waiting for the situation to improve.
ViruSs is also significantly affected by the overall difficult situation. He shared: “Income from events and advertisements accounts for a large portion of my total income, so losing many contracts makes me very sad, but I have to accept it. The pandemic has burned up about 90% of my savings over the years. Initially, it made me really depressed because I also have business and investment. The ViruSs studio office had to close, and my coffee shop did too. However, this is something no one wants; it is a lesson for everyone.”
Vũ Mỹ Linh – the owner of the food blog @nofoodphobia – also shared that she has seen a reduction of about 70-80% in advertising bookings from brands. Additionally, she cannot go out to produce content or review eateries as usual.
Similarly, H – a travel blogger – also mentioned that he has seen his income drop to the lowest level in the past two months due to the nature of his work. Brands related to travel cannot run ads at this time, and H cannot go out to produce images or clips for reviews, so he can only stay at home and wait for the situation to improve.
How Are They Coping?
In light of the overall difficult situation, all KOLs/Influencers prioritize frugality. In addition, they take advantage of the time to create new content that suits viewers’ tastes during this period to maintain their personal image on social media platforms.
Giang Ơi shared: “Since I was a child, my parents taught me to spend according to two clear principles. First, ‘If it’s not necessary, I won’t buy it even if it’s cheap; and if it’s necessary, I won’t hesitate to spend even if it’s expensive.’ Second, since I graduated and started working, I have had a habit of saving little by little, always having a reserve fund. Especially since I’m a girl living in a strange city, I never want to run out of savings in case of emergencies. My life over the years has been quite stable financially thanks to these principles. But even so, this crisis is still a reminder of the importance of those habits. Not only at the present time, but I believe my income will likely decrease in the near future, but I have prepared a ‘bomb shelter’ so my family can live for about a year without income.”
Travel blogger H shared that he has cut all shopping and spending expenses to get through this tough time: “When at home, my needs revolve around food. I have time, so I also cook to save instead of ordering takeout.”
ViruSs also shared that during this time, he has had the opportunity to take better care of himself. Additionally, the famous streamer continues to livestream, read books, and play the piano.
Similarly, Quang Đại also spends a lot of time learning languages online, watching more documentaries about the environment, and learning more about mountain climbing.
Living Like a Jellyfish: Adapting and Simplifying Consumption Needs
Thanks to their influence, KOLs like Châu Bùi, Khánh Linh, Giang Ơi, and Vũ Dino continue to share positive information with the community. Moreover, they immediately started producing new content to cater to the current tastes of readers. Most KOLs and influencers maintain an optimistic outlook and hope for better things.
YouTuber Vũ Dino has plans for the near future: “Currently, people are staying home more, so the demand for online entertainment is also higher. I will produce videos that can be filmed at home to continue maintaining my work.” Vũ Mỹ Linh also shared that after being unable to go out to review eateries, she gradually shifted towards teaching how to cook simple dishes at home. Additionally, she is researching and listing restaurants that are still operating online to provide readers with more dining options.
Giang Ơi shared: “There is an exhibition about the future that I watched, depicting the world when humans have depleted natural resources, destroyed the Earth and their living environment. In that apocalyptic scene, one of the species that still survives resiliently is the jellyfish. There are two reasons that help it survive longer than the species that consider themselves superior – humans: one is its flexibility to adapt to changes in the living environment, and the other is its simplicity in consumption needs. I believe that every challenge comes with an opportunity. If humans train their ability to adapt flexibly to situations, while simplifying their needs and consumption, we will survive.”
ViruSs also remains very optimistic: “When you fall, get up where you fell, and when challenges arise, you have to solve them. Those who maintain a good spirit and willpower after the situation improves will have a smoother start. Therefore, always be ready for the good things that are coming.”