33M internet users in Malaysia! 🤯

In Malaysia, there's plenty of support for creators. ✨

Earlier this year, Meta launched its Creator Academy in Malaysia to equip them with resources and tools to advance their creation journey. Bringing together 100 creators for the launch, this free programme helps creators learn all about content creation, distribution, personal branding etc.

33M Malaysians use the internet every day to communicate, consume news, and discover events, making it a nation with most active internet users. Isng calls Malayasia a land of influencers, and creators like Karen Cho, Tasnim Shah, and Master Ramen are leading the way. But what makes Malaysian creator economy so incredible is their government propelling content creators' growth. 🚀

In 2021, Malaysia's Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia launched a Creative Content Streaming Programme. The motto of this programme is to equip the next wave of streamers and video content creators to generate new revenue streams through social media.

According to Open Gov, the first year alone received 1,400 applications, and the 30-day programme took the creators through the basics of the content creation, challenges, platform-specific tips and best practices. Plus, it introduced creators to Malaysian video games to foster local-made games. It's not every day you see governments focussing on upskilling content creators, right?

Role of Social Media 🤯

Meltwater states that Malaysia has 30.25M active social media users, equivalent to 91.7% of the country’s population. Over 30% of internet users in Malaysia follow influencers on social media.

Unlike other countries, boomers use social media as much as Gen Z and millennials, which explains the internet penetration in Malaysia. Users between 16 to 64 years of age actively use the internet — especially all of Meta platforms. Facebook's highest number of active users are from Malaysia. GWI's survey states these factors are the main reasons for Malaysians to use the internet. 👇

👉 Read: Social media research trends in Malaysia

Insg states Southeast Asian influencer marketing is worth $2.59B in 2024 — a whopping jump from $638M in 2019. You get the drift — the creator economy is thriving in Malaysia, and is well-rounded in the sense that both government and Malaysians encouraging content creators. Now, let's understand the journey of a few creators. 👇

25-year-old Tasnim Shah has to be one of our favorite Malaysian influencers. Shah is a law graduate turned entrepreneur who runs clothing and snacks brands. Her brands TA Munchies sells baked goods, and TA by Tasnim Shah creates premium hijabs and coordinate sets.

With about 643K Instagram followers and 123.4K TikTok followers, Shah has collaborated with brands such as Lancôme, One Plus, Shiseido, Issey Miyake, etc.

And then, there's Master Ramen! Considered as the backbone of Malaysian eSports industry, Firdaus Hashim (aka Master Ramen) is the goto creator for all things gaming, watches, and gadgets.

His videos are fun and dramatic! No wonder he hosted OPPO Gaming Tournament Season 1 in 2020 and acted as a commentator for IO Esports Community Cup 2020 and Peace Elite Asia Invitational 2021. While his journey began in Southeast Asia's eSports industry, he realized the need for local communities and focussed on creating gaming communities in Malaysia. The government recognized this, paving a path for Selangor Cyber Games and Malaysia Cyber games.

In an interview with GamerBraves, he discusses the average pays of shoutcasters and pro players, and says their income is still unstable. He says, "Though there are events, there’s still no minimum wage, which is dependent on the level of event, which is from RM 300 to RM 1,000 per day in Malaysia. Pro players are also dependent on the level of tournaments. On an international level, they can earn up to RM 8,000 monthly, excluding their winnings. While there are some who earn more than RM 20,000 per month. However, for players in the local or SEA level, their wages are below RM 3,000, and some have no pay at all."

Just so you know, 1 RM is equivalent to $0.21, so pro players make as low as $63.

Read the full interview. 👇

Love cafe hopping? Parammaries is on even traveller's list to discover cafes and restaurants in Malaysia. From discovering coffee shops to sushi joints, Parammaries content is where Vogue meets Bon Appetit. But more aesthetically! What defines her content is she never shows her face — albeit a side angle pose — which is quite intriguing for a lifestyle blogger.

Most creators are quite entrepreneurial in Malaysia — go ahead and look at the top 25 Malaysian creators, and you'll find most of them running lifestyle brands and helping the local economy. This explains why Shopee, an ecommerce platform, has kept Amazon away in Malaysia and all of Asia.

While 2022 hasn't been the brighest of the years, Rest of World reports Shopee Live is changing this. The report says, "Sellers have been racking up record transactions on Shopee Live, its livestreaming platform — a sales method that began with Chinese e-commerce and is beginning to catch on in Southeast Asia. On August 18, a store owned by famous Indonesian celebrity Rafi Ahmad, made an eye-watering 5B Rupiah ($326,243) in revenue in 10 minutes."

One thing is clear — the onus of Malaysian creator economy's success isn't on influencers or influencer marketers alone. The government, local businesses, and internet users are coming together to create communities while shaping how they want to consume information. What's not to admire about it?

What do you think about this? Hit reply and share your thoughts.

That’s it for this week! We’ll be back with another story next Tuesday. 👋🏼

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