SOCIAL media has become the “in-thing”. People of all ages share their thoughts and stories through videos, photographs, podcasts and other forms of content.
The habit most likely started during the Covid-19 pandemic, when everyone stayed at home and looked for ways to spend time and escape boredom.
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The mobile phone soon became a powerful tool.
At first, people simply shared photos of their home-cooked meals on social media, not taking it seriously but doing it for fun.
As time went on, many turned this habit into a way to earn an income. Social media began helping people promote products, build audiences and even start businesses.
Among all topics, food has become one of the most popular. Almost everyone talks about food online, and it connects people instantly across borders.
One example is Lala Kerry, 30, a content creator who focuses on food and travel.
She started creating content in 2019 but became serious about it in 2021, leaving her job as a music teacher to pursue social media full-time.
Her journey shows how passion and creativity can grow into a career, and how food storytelling has become a favourite among audiences everywhere.
Lala, from Kampung Muhibbah, Ranau, said she has always loved talking about food.
Growing up in her village, opportunities to enjoy a wide variety of food were limited because everything was scarce.
After moving to Kota Kinabalu to study music and later becoming a music teacher, she slowly turned her passion into something she could do every day. She enjoyed creating content for others to watch while promoting places through her stories.
“I realised my followers keep asking for details like the price, location, whether the food is good and what the place is like. So I make sure I include all these. That’s part of media work, disseminating information,” she said.
Her introduction, “Gais, gais!”, has become her trademark.
She is active across various social media platforms through her video content. With more than 50,000 followers, she admitted that sometimes her privacy feels like it is slowly fading away.
She said at first she was not sure whether anyone would want to hire her to promote their eateries.
But after people saw her videos, they started approaching her and paying her.
That was how she got started.
On her journey to becoming a content creator, she said she learned a great deal about people’s character and the skills needed in today’s digital era.
“Video editing is a must-know skill for every content creator,” she said, adding that having knowledge of Sabah’s food industry also helps.
When it comes to payment, she said it depends on the time and effort involved, from recording and presenting the content to editing the final video.
“It all takes time and effort to make it better,” she said, pointing out the hard work behind every post.
She also gives credit to old-school storytellers for their passion. Even without modern AI tools, they were able to create long, meaningful stories. Unlike today, when almost everything can be downloaded instantly, they relied solely on their creativity, she said.
Lala also emphasised the importance of discipline, especially in managing money and budgeting.
Another Sabahan personality is Stefanus Sergius, better known as “Nonzy” or @Apamaumakan.
At 39, he has built a loyal following by promoting local food businesses. The name Apamaumakan (“What shall we eat?”) began as a simple phrase he and his wife, Chantal, used almost every day while working at a car dealership in 2011.
Over time, it became their identity. Today, they run Apamaumakan Enterprise together with their daughter, Skylar, sharing food and family stories online.
His trademark is the word “Mabolos”, a playful slang expression inspired by the word “marvellous”.
His Dusun and Kadazan heritage gave him a natural love for diverse food traditions.
In 2017, he started by helping a friend promote a small eatery. When the video went viral, it gave him the confidence to continue.
His style is laid-back, mixing everyday conversation with Sabahan slang, making his videos feel natural and easy to watch.
“I’m not a chef or a food critic,” he said. “I simply want to help eateries get discovered.”
Depending on client requests, he produces up to four videos a week and believes enjoying the work is just as important as earning an income.
He is now looking at reaching international audiences by adding English subtitles to his videos, allowing viewers abroad to better understand Sabahan slang and appreciate the State’s food culture.
Nonzy also believes everyone on social media is an influencer in one way or another. The difference, he said, lies only in how far or to what degree each person wants to take it.
For him, creating content is a job and a way for his family to earn a living.
“There is nothing wrong with promoting food through social media and getting paid for it.
“It is a service,” he said. “We help businesses while supporting our family.”
Another personality in the digital space is Ben Liew, 43, from Kota Belud, who works as a sales manager with a digital magazine.
His role covers a wide range of responsibilities, from securing sponsorships and promoting marketing packages to managing social media campaigns and building collaborations with well-known celebrities, content creators and online influencers.
Much of his work revolves around promotion through digital platforms.
He said modern advertising is really about making full use of the tools already available on social media.
“Everyone has access to these platforms. The difference is how creatively they use them,” he said.
For Ben, success comes from being consistent in posting, authentic in storytelling and visually appealing in content.
It also requires engaging with followers, using trends and hashtags wisely, and collaborating with others to expand reach.
He added that building a personal brand is equally important by creating a clear identity or trademark that audiences can recognise instantly.
Networking with other creators and businesses also strengthens credibility and opens doors to new opportunities.
“It’s all about being creative enough to make the tools work for you,” he said.
His colleague, Kevin Claine, discovered his love for drawing when he was just five years old.
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As he grew older, his passion gradually shifted and, by the age of 17, he found himself interested in videography and video editing.
Kevin, from Kuala Penyu, said he learned video editing through YouTube, mostly by experimenting, making mistakes and learning from them. Now 21, he has developed strong digital creative skills and works with the same digital magazine, using both his artistic eye and technical ability to do the work he enjoys.
He and Ben continue to learn from each other about how the industry is growing in today’s digital society.
Together, they are exploring new ways to create opportunities and generate income through social media and online promotion.
