Working and earning a living online is still relatively weaker in the Arab world compared to the West, but with the emergence of an Arab generation that is technologically savvy, many have become more experienced and willing to experiment with online initiatives. Young Syrian are among those trying to build their fortune online.
To gain further insight into this matter, Eqtsad spoke with Hadi al-Ashraf, a young Syrian man, who explained that he only started using the internet properly after he left Syrian because the regime in Syria was limiting the actions possible online.
Al-Ashraf created a page called Homsiyat Nights after arriving in Jordan on which he began publishing videos about the heritage of Homs. He then created a YouTube channel, and from that, he saw how he could profit from his project by allowing advertisements to be viewed on his channel. This channel garnered 3000 subscribers, and it hosts over 1,400 videos which have received over 100,000 views.
According to al-Ashraf, he works and is financially content, and he does not think of increasing his earnings from his YouTube channel. He continued explaining that he is thinking of future investment and profits from his channel to develop it further and form a team to develop the channel and the quality of the videos. His ambitions for the project will cost a lot of money.
Al-Ashraf explained that he has many Syrian friends who publish online blogs about different topics and they are earning profits by displaying advertisements on them, but they do not have enough experience to increase their earnings, so their income from this online work remains low.
In the same context, Eqtsad spoke to Abdul Rahman Dandashi, the presenter of the critical Homsoud program, who explained that five years ago he did not know much about how to profit from the internet and YouTube because YouTube was blocked in Syria. After leaving the country, he started to gain experience in this field, learning and experimenting. For three years he learnt through trial and error, until he had very good experience, and opened his own channel on YouTube.
Dandashi’s channel deals with criticisms of Syrian drama, and it has achieved a high percentage of viewers as well as a large number of subscribers. In the beginning, the profits were very low, and Dandashi had to earn a living as he was unable to depend on the channel. In the recent period, the situation improved until he was able to cooperate with a full team to develop his program on YouTube.
He pointed out that this subject requires patience, and this is why many young Syrians are reluctant to undergo this experience. He added that the length of time needed before online initiatives earn profits and uncertainty about whether or not they will achieve high enough earnings causes many young Syrians to hesitate starting such a project.
According to Dandashi, there is a good number of Syrian youth who make money by designing applications and selling them on Google Play. These programmers earn their living from the applications, and the advertisements show on their applications. Dandashi recommended Syrians look out for these programmers as they are exemplary since they continuously develop.
Tarek Abdul Wahid, a Syrian online marketing expert, said that in recent years Syrian youths have proven their merit by earning high incomes from online projects whether designing websites, establishing large and successful companies that sell things online, and some of them have received awards in international competitions.
Speaking to Eqtsad, Abdul Wahid said that the Internet is open to anyone who has the competence to work online, and there are numerous fields open to people. He commented that Syrians’ migration to neighboring countries and Europe has also increased their experience and opened horizons before them to develop their talents and skills.
Abdul Wahid said that the possibilities of working and earning an income from the Internet are greater than we imagine. YouTube and Google are only part of the possibilities available. He added that there those who teach through the Internet, write articles or provide services while sitting at home, and this open other endless work opportunities before people willing to learn.
