By Pelumi King
Social media is tool in the world, it has helped people connect, make waves, and get more knowledge. It has also given people a sense of belonging and has made numerous people happy and rich. The influence of social media on various fields and various concepts is increasing and cannot be undermined.
One area that social media has an increasing influence in is the area of comedy. It has evolved comedy not just in Nigeria but the world, however, this article will be reviewing how it has evolved comedy in Nigeria.
Comedy in Nigeria before the advent or popularity of social media mainly revolved around stand-up comedy, movies, and sometimes radio. It can be said that it was much harder to become a popular comedian then than now. Stand-up comedy was perhaps the most popular of them all and perhaps the primary one. Alibaba, Basketmouth, AY, Gbenga Adenuga were perhaps the most popular stand-up comedians. Comedy was mostly done in comedy shows of various comedians, the comic acting that is being done on various social media platforms was mostly only done on stages. It was mostly done in form of a stage play.
Comedians then did not have as much exposure as they have now. The major source of exposure then was television stations and to some extent radio stations, some or most of them hired television stations to cover their shows, some even had a show on some television stations, i.e. Teju Babyface show, AY show, Stand Up Nigeria to name a few. It was the comedians who had the pull to attract television stations and radio stations that had the highest exposure, it was their shows that upcoming comedians hustled to be on. The advent of social media however changed things, the changes it has made have led to the evolvement of comedy in Nigeria.
Firstly, social media has given Nigerian comedians more exposure. It is no longer important for comedians to hire a television station or radio station to cover their events, all they need to do now is hire a videographer or cameraman to record them, they can then post the clips on their social media accounts, they can also choose to stream the event live on various social platforms. This way, they are not only exposed to Nigerians alone but also to the international world.
It has also given more exposure to new and upcoming comedians. As said earlier, before the advent of social media, upcoming comedians had to hustle a spot on popular comedians’ shows in order to get some exposure. Social media has changed that, all they need now is to record a video and post it on their social media accounts and hopes it goes viral. They can also solicit for a repost from more popular comedians or celebrities. If their videos then go viral, they are now called to perform on popular comedy shows. They now hustle through social media Social media has made things easier for them.
Social media has also introduced various comic talents to Nigerians. Many Nigerian comedians that may not have been known to Nigerians before the advent of social media have now become increasingly popular in this social media age. Many diverse forms of comedy can be seen on social media, new ideas, creative ideas, funny ideas can be seen on various social media comedy videos. By introducing these talents, social media has shown that Nigerian comedy is not just a one-way thing but multiple ways. It has also shown the creative side of Nigerian comedians.
Comedy has evolved in Nigeria due to the advent of social media; many things have been changed. Popular comedians who became popular before the advent of social media resort now to social media to promote their shows, upcoming projects, etc. They do skits like all other social media comedians; Basket Mouth is a perfect example of this. Many of them have had to evolve due to social media, they even feature in some of the skits of these social media comedians.
Social media has evolved comedy in Nigeria, many things have been changed. Comedy 10- 15 years ago is not the same as it is now. These changes are largely due to the influence or factor of social media. Nigerian comedy will continue to evolve as long as social media continue to exist.
