As the world celebrates International Day of Families, it is a perfect time to reflect on the importance of family dynamics in the modern world. In an era of fast-paced technological advancements, family units have undergone significant changes, making it more critical than ever to foster strong relationships among family members. In recent years, short-form video applications have become a popular way for people to connect and share their lives with others. One of the most significant ways these apps have impacted our society is by bringing families together. Likee, a leading short-form video platform, has played a key role in facilitating this trend, as more and more families have turned to the app to stay connected and engage with one another.
One such content creator who not only embraces family values but rather has made it his content focus on Likee is Eyad Marwan Mohammad El Bakkar. Eyad, a father of three children, has been active on social media since 2019 under the persona - Bakkar Family, and regularly creates content featuring his family in his videos. His 17-year-old son, Ahmed, and two daughters named Rital and Rahaf aged 11 and 6 respectively, often participate in his videos.
Eyad was inspired to begin creating content on social media by his son, Ahmed who was only 8 years old at the time. Ahmad wanted to start a dedicated social media account, however, at such a young age – his father felt it was better to not allow his son to do so by himself but rather help him in creating content. Ever since then, Eyad has created thousands of videos with his family based on various content topics recommended by his family members and fans.
Eyad started on content creation on social media through short form videos and believes that, “it is a great tool to attract the audience by the main title of the video and the attractive content. I also appreciate the fact that it is not boring and helps in delivering the message of a video quickly and clearly.” He further appreciates the fact that short-form videos can help creators reach new audiences, as he believes that audiences prefer to view content that keeps them interested and engaged on social media quickly.
Eyad’s content on short form videos revolves around the real-life stories of his family and as individuals in a comedic and conservative way, while respecting the Arab society’s norms and traditions. He frequently educates his audience on the best ways to deal with certain situations in a comedic manner to reach the right audience and garner more interest from users. As social media has been able to help him in forming a closer relationship with his family, Eyad aims to inspire his followers to learn to live a closer and happier relationship with their families as well.
Having a dedicated family account, Eyad also emphasizes the importance of involving his family in his content creation process. While he features his children in his videos, Eyad’s wife is responsible for all the behind-the-scenes tasks wherein she regularly conducts the job of a manager, producer, videographer, editor and so much more. According to the creator, “she (Eyad’s wife) is the real boss of my family and team.” His entire family enjoys coming up with ideas for new content together while targeting a similar audience to their ages and interests to ensure that their content is always relevant. By involving his family in this process, Eyad has been able to turn his passion for creating content into a shared experience that brings his family closer together.
As such it is evident that short from video applications can create bonding experiences between family members as they come together to participate in various challenges and create fun videos that bring them together, creating lasting memories. Short-form video applications can also help to bridge the generation gap in families. The platform has enabled younger generations to connect with their parents and grandparents, who may not be as tech-savvy. By creating videos and participating in challenges together, families have found a way to bond and bridge the gap between generations.
While discussing about his experience on the platform – Likee, Eyad commented, “What I like about Likee is that it helps to create the content and gives you hints and tips about the quality and the audience interest.” He went on to further state that he believes that such platforms can definitely help to bring families closer together and promote positive family values depending on the contents and the accounts that are usually shared on social channels.
Eyad's success on short form videos has opened up new opportunities for him and his family, leading to collaborations with brands and enabling him to reach and connect with people from all over the world. As we move further into the digital age, it is safe to assume that short-form video applications such as Likee will continue to play a significant role in shaping family relationships, providing an avenue for families to connect, bond and create lasting memories. This International Day of Families, let us celebrate the importance of family and the role technology has played in bringing us closer together.
