The hype of online work

For decades, young people were promised that if they studied hard and got a degree, there would be a job waiting for them.

Now that this is proving to be untrue, society sells them a new dream: all you need is a laptop and internet, and you can make dollars.?

There are many signs that the shift to digital livelihoods is happening...??

• A whole cohort of graduates is making a living doing the homework of students in the global north.?

• African creators are getting more options to monetize their work. After skipping over the continent’s creatives for years, Meta is opening payments and subscription options.?

• The Kenyan government introduced a special tax for online work (signaling that the slice of the pie is big enough for them to bother)?

...but the reality is that for most young people, online work is not yet living up to the hype.??

Last month, we organized MESH FEST – an in-person one-day event with one hundred power MESHERS.??One of the hottest topics was online work. In group conversations and workshops MESHERS shared how they are starting and growing their businesses, and what challenges and opportunities they see.

We heard beautiful success stories of people like Kamware, who built a thriving creator gig to supplement her in-person catering business.??

We learned from David how to import goods for your shop cheaper from online platforms like AliBaba.??

Roy shared how he structures packages for branded content partnerships.??

...

But the stories of struggle and failure were just as insightful – and plentiful.??

Livelihoods depend on specific platforms, with virtually no recourse if things go wrong.?

Alphonse used to have a thriving online writing account and managed a team of writers. One of his writers' work was flagged for using AI-generated content. His entire account was suspended immediately, putting him out of business.?

The global competition on remote work platforms is incredibly high.

This makes it nearly impossible to get started on your own steam.?Starting online workers often have no option but to work for others with established accounts. MESHERS shared stories of an emerging marketplace for highly rated accounts.

Africans get paid less than people on other continents for the same gig.

Paul worked for weeks on small remote tasks. He sometimes earned as little as three dollars for half a day's work. Some of his friends use VPNs to mask their location to increase their pay. Others create accounts through family abroad.

Without capital for devices and internet, young people can’t build digital livelihoods.??

"It’s easy to say that to make money, ‘all you need’ is a laptop and internet – but how do you get that laptop and internet without money?" lamented one MESHER.

You’re stuck in a trap...

Just 51% of men and 38% of women in Kenya own a smartphone - laptops and computer ownership is even lower. Only 59% of men and 39% of women have access to (mobile) internet. (Note the gender gap!).

Let's not forget that the internet is not free.

The average price for 1GB of data in Kenya is $0.57. For a freelance video editor who needs to upload and download videos all day to make 200-400$ a month, that’s a big price label.

The barriers young people face are unseen

As MESHERS shared their real-world challenges, we realized that the people who advocate for digital jobs as a silver bullet for income generation don't see these barriers.

We see massive opportunities for online work and income generation - but not in the utopian way that it's currently sold to young people.

We're breaking down these barriers one by one

?? We create content using our 'bullshit radar'. We filter out unrealistic and manipulative content about income generation online.

?? We pass the mic to MESHERS. MESHERS who have found real entryways into online work share their journey step by step, including lessons learned from failure.

?? We give MESHERS access to capital for devices. We're currently partnering with Shortlist Professionals to offer MESHERS 0% interest rate loans on devices like smartphones, laptops, and power banks to power their online hustles.??

???? We’re working on the internet access side as well – and hope to report more on that soon.??

SNACKS

?? Impact measurement company 60 Decibels got women talking about MESH - the results are mind-blowing impact numbers.

??? What's the sexiest object at a business conference? Yep - electric vehicles.

?? The most surprising hot topic at MESH FEST was... taxes.

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