By Gibson Yeun, head of global operations at Likee.
With the ongoing rise of short video technology, it is no secret that people are spending over 1.5 hours scrolling through such platforms every single day. The short video format is booming across the world in one region in particular, the Middle East, where it accounts for 15 per cent of time spent on media. What’s more is that social media giants are facilitating it more than anything else and in turn, people are using the short video format to fulfil their fundamental need to connect and socialise with others. Online communities have become a source of knowledge and inspiration as well as provide a sense of belonging and support.
In recent times during global sporting events such as the world’s biggest football tournament, communities have thrived on the short form video platforms as they became an excellent resource for finding sports-related news, allowing fans to interact with others, share opinions about their teams and share some of their favourite moments from the games.
According to the Football Report issued by Likee, short video platforms are being touted by fans as their next best option to follow sports and up to 91 per cent of football fans agree that short-form videos foster a sense of community. Therefore, to provide a more immersive World Cup experience, Likee introduced new features to cultivate and improve their football communities. A dedicated World Cup event page was launched by the application under a newly launched community feature known as ‘Loop’ bringing together fans and providing an interactive experience for users to support their favourite teams, join fan groups, watch text and animation games, follow match schedules, and much more.
Users could find their football community on Likee in one minute.
The platform introduced a range of fun and interactive Augmented Reality filters to help keep fans more engaged during the global tournament. These included a football juggling challenge, brand new World Cup nations’ flags stickers and also a series of head tilt games allowing users to make their predictions of World Cup games and choose among their favourite players. Due to the immersive and personal nature of these filters, users were encouraged to create a memorable experience on Likee, which also organised a drone show to captivate their audience.
As a community may be formed by people with similar interests which is relatively simpler to find on social media, short-form videos have realised the importance of fostering the ideal environment for these communities to thrive in and trying to ensure that every member feels empowered. By equipping users with more tools and resources and allowing them to use these at their leisure, such platforms are encouraging engagement in communities while allowing every user a chance to be heard and appreciated.
With an increased focus on enhancing footballing communities across the globe, short-form video applications also chose to advocate the importance of the sport. For example, to raise awareness around children’s rights, particularly, their right to play football, Likee launched a hashtag campaign #كأس_عالم_الاطفال, wherein, users were invited to share their best football skills or clips of their favourite players that were participating in the fourth edition of the Street Child World Cup this year. The application also shed light on the Amputee Football World Cup organised this year by showcasing some inspirational stories of the amputee players on its social channels and providing them with a platform to inspire millions around the world. Through such initiatives, Likee continues to support everyone’s right to play and enjoy football in a safe environment – no matter their age, gender, nationality, status or impairments.
By promoting diverse and original content being developed by football communities, short-form video applications are empowering up-and-coming creators to celebrate the regional essence and skills of football. Many notable creators including the likes of Yousef Hossam, Ahmed Salah, Ajis Pirmansyah and Syed Rafid Rahim continue to find their voice through short-form video platforms and not only provide educational football content but also motivate others to explore their own potentials, help overcome challenges and uplift viewers to become the best versions of themselves they can be.
As a result of its efforts, the football community on Likee has grown considerably and has been motivated to showcase its talents by creating innovative content in every imaginable niche.
With a vision to promote inclusion and accessibility, short-form video platforms are inspiring their users to nurture a sense of self-discovery while encouraging members to express their values and build long-lasting relations with others. By investing towards improving societies both offline and online, such platforms are providing added value to users, enabling creators to showcase their talents and become empowered to act as agents of change. A diversified collection of video content is being enhanced by the originality and creativity of users and in turn, short video users are embracing platforms to facilitate positive and meaningful connections and bring changes to their lives for All and for Good.
