Ghanaian Short-form video app, BeSocial, plans to replace TikTok by highlighting the diverse voices and original content from creators across Africa and the diaspora. Besocial also hopes to help creators earn money from their work.
In 2022, a group of technical and business members, led by Kwesi Buabeng—a former executive at Ecobank, Google, and Coinbase—and others, bootstrapped BBSocial Inc. with the goal of making content creation lucrative for all creators. The company developed the BeSocial app.
Black and African creators are the ones who typically start social media trends and hashtags but don’t get much credit for them. This app changes that.
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With the launch of its beta version, BeSocial has been collaborating with one thousand creators and influencers, the majority of whom are based in Ghana, to seed the app with content. The app integrates short-form social video, social shopping, and social commerce.
If all goes according to plan, the app will soon be available in beta in South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana in addition to other African countries. At this time, 2100 creators from Nigeria and Ghana have joined the app. BeSocial claims that it is committed to empowering creators by granting them ownership and control over their content. This eliminates the need for opaque algorithms and guarantees equitable distribution of profits.
The vast majority of the advertising, tip, gift, and merchandise revenue generated by BeSocial creators will remain in their possession. The creators of trends and unique hashtags have exclusive rights to them, which gives them a special opportunity to make money.
Featuring a hand-picked stream of content from all over the world, the platform offers everything from breathtaking dance routines and humorous skits to reel battles and reel debates, where users discuss and debate current social issues. Regular users have the ability to vote on reel battles and participate in reel debates.
The creator commerce industry is worth $25 billion now and is projected to reach $75 billion in 2025. BeSocial aims to support and empower African and Black creators by incorporating distinctive shopping and commerce features into the BeSocial experience.
With a projected CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 28.5% between 2023 and 2030, the Africa Creator Economy market size is projected to increase from $3.08 billion in 2023 to $17.84 billion in 2030. Find it in the App Store or the Play Store on Android or iOS.
Why creators need monetisation
There are a number of reasons why creators require monetization. First, a lot of energy, time, and materials go into making content. Artists can pay for production expenses, upgrade their software or hardware, and spend more time making high-quality content when they monetize their work.
Making money proves that what a creator has created is valuable. When people are prepared to pay for content, it shows that people value and appreciate it. This gives creators more confidence and motivation to keep making content.
Thanks to monetization, creators can make a living doing what they love. Creators can have a more stable and satisfying living if they can make a living off of their content.
Revenue generation encourages originality and fresh thinking. Creators are more likely to test out new ideas, formats, and levels of creativity when they are financially motivated to do so, which improves the content landscape for audiences.
As a means of financial support, validation of their content’s worth, ability to turn their passion into a career, and incentive for further innovation and creativity, creators must be able to monetize their work.