A simple search for Sri Lanka online will turn up results riddled with news of protests, a crippling economic crisis, and the face-off between our Government and its people, who are demanding immediate and effective change.
The social media landscape has been entirely taken over by political hot takes and general updates of what is going on in various corners of the island. In the month of April, when one would usually see post after post about Avurudu, the various brand deals on offer, and people enjoying the festivities, you will now see posts about protests, news reports, and inspirational quotes about resilience and driving change.
However, amidst all this, what happens to those whose job it is to promote their business online? For those businesses which don’t have physical stores, the still-small businesses trying to expand their reach? What if your livelihood depended on your social media presence and your digital promotions?
Recent weeks have seen an influx of social media pressure on internet personalities to speak up, forcing many to abandon their regularly scheduled programmes to show their support, lest they get cancelled. While the majority are certainly showcasing their support genuinely and out of a sense of duty, we cannot deny that there is an unspoken pressure upon people to either say something related to the struggle or not say anything at all.
As for those who are protesting on the streets, while there are many who have made great sacrifices to show up for Sri Lanka, the majority of people show support as and when they can, balancing day jobs, clocking in for their 9 to 5, and then making their way to what is now known as the ‘agitation site’. People who work in this manner are earning a living, but things have changed drastically for businesses that have to be promoted online, via social media. What happens to them?
Brunch reached out to some businesses that rely on online and social media engagement to earn a living, asking those who exclusively promote their businesses online to share their experience during these times, looking at how their business has been affected by the current crisis and this silent but ever-present pressure to refrain from diverting attention away from the political situation of the country.
A matter of timing
Maryam, the founder of Homewaxer, a homemade sugar wax brand, said that speaking from a business perspective, while she hasn’t felt any direct pressure not to promote online, she herself has felt bad to do so, wondering if it was right for her to promote something that wasn’t necessarily an essential survival item when people were unable to afford essential items.
“Is this really something people want to buy right now? It’s not,” she said, adding also that while she had not been promoted for a while, for various reasons not entirely owing to the current context, she felt that it was simply not the time.
Maryam’s sentiment was widely shared amongst almost all the businesses we reached out to. Many online businesses are either novelty items, often gift items that are indulgences, for pleasure. Business owners shared that while there was no overt ‘ban’ on promoting luxury items, one must read the room and right now, people were not looking to indulge, but to survive.
Indulgence by Pradz Founder and home baker Pradika Maheswaran noted: “I don’t post as often as I used to. I don’t want to be posting about cakes and brownies these days. I have halted my business with Uber Eats temporarily, sales are low. Understandably. People are not in the mood to order desserts.”
Pradika shared that with the current crisis and people’s attention being almost entirely focused on the protests and essential items, food like desserts could be considered a luxury item and really weren’t at the top of anyone’s mind. She shared that she was continuing to take orders and if people wished to place an order, they could contact her directly.
Much like Indulgence by Pradz, many businesses have suffered due to the current crisis; these are more indirect hits on businesses, with many business owners sharing sentiments of feeling almost “embarrassed” to post about their products because they feel that they are not in any way helping by trying to get people to buy something that they may not need.
Keeping small businesses alive
There have been several online personalities who have spoken out about their concerns when it comes to being able to keep one’s small business alive.
Thanuja Jaywardana, an online content creator, issued a public statement via her TikTok saying: “You absolutely should not be embarrassed to promote your home business at this time.” She also offered her support for any small businesses that may need some extra visibility. “The rest of us are going to work. They are going to their 9 to 5, but if your occupation is online and your income is made online, then you should not be embarrassed.”
Many others shared that they would either take a hiatus on posting branded content. Tesara Iddamalgoda, an online content creator, shared that in relation to her prior commitments to brands, she had decided to post her commissioned content at a later date and would be taking a voluntary pay cut due to these delays.
Similarly, other content creators like Chethana Ketagoda have shared apologies for sharing branded content, with Chethana making a statement on her social media that she would be sharing branded content in the midst of the crisis purely due to previous commitments.
Country situation takes a toll
While the majority of people, in general, are supportive of small businesses and understand their efforts online in a time of crisis, business owners themselves have expressed that they personally feel it is not suitable. They also shared that it was not practical.
Pasan, founder of Bellezza, an online beauty, cosmetic and personal care item provider, shared that due to the inflation our country was experiencing right now, there was no point in even attempting to make sales. “People don’t have the money to be buying sarees and lifestyle items,” he said, and even though the community has in no way pressured him into feeling like he should not promote his brand, he feels that due to the current climate and the economic crisis, it is not possible for homegrown businesses such as his own to make sales. He shared that he had decided not to restock items at this time, given the uncertainty about the potential turn of events in the backdrop of the country’s unstable financial situation.
Thilina Perera, founder of Ceylon Leather Crafts, shared that he had had to shut down his leather crafts business for the past week for many reasons, including the power cuts, due to which he could only work a few hours a day. As someone who also exclusively promotes online and relies entirely on an online platform to reach customers, and considering that his product may also be considered a luxury item, he has also felt that it is simply not the time to promote his product.
However, he especially noted that even if businesses like his were to promote online, they would not get any reach. “Right now, people’s focus is on something entirely different. We, too, are immersed in the struggle. They will not engage with branded content or promotions at this time.” he said. He shared that it didn’t make much business sense to be promoting online at this time anyway because all the efforts would be wasted. “We have to hang in there. It is a matter of crisis management right now for businesses,” said Thilina.
He shared however that because of the community he had built over the years and owing to the nature of his customer services which was hands-on, many people had reached out to him to offer support. “There is no point stressing about this current situation. We will see after some time,” he concluded.
How can we help?
The plight of daily wage earners in this crisis is one that is easy to imagine because their jobs and incomes are so very clearly linked to their time, but it is often easy to forget that small businesses too need to make maximum use of their time to guarantee an income for themselves and the people they work with. In the current crisis, those who don’t have traditional 9 to 5 jobs are under immense pressure. This is not to take away from the struggles of those working 9 to 5 who also cannot make ends meet, but to highlight that small businesses, especially those which operate exclusively online, have very small teams of people behind them – many of whom are solely dependent on the income that business brings.
Many businesses have suffered due to the consistent price hikes and the booming online businesses that grew by leaps and bounds during the pandemic have all now suffered major losses, while large companies are able to take the hit more easily.
For the time being, as social media users and people of one community, all we can do is offer our support, share posts, and engage with promotional items, which will help online business owners stay afloat during this time.
