How can I earn money now? Confessions of people who lost their jobs due to blocking social networks

Over the past couple of years, Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) (a product of Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia) has become not only one of the most popular social networks, but also a trading platform of incredible proportions. A person of any profession could sell his services there: from a realtor to a psychologist specializing in family therapy.

In addition, targetologists and marketers continued to develop there, as well as such positions as sales manager, project launch manager and administrator in direct (a person who, at the request of the employer, analyzes and responds to messages received on social networks).

People mistakenly believe that only bloggers lost their jobs when the application was blocked, but in fact, copywriters, designers, targetologists and many others were left without income. And if some of them can move to another platform and hope for the best, then there are people whose profession will no longer be relevant.

Alina, former targetologist, story maker and direct manager

“In early March, the Tverskoy Court of Moscow recognized the activities of the social networks Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) and Facebook (an extremist organization banned in Russia) owned by Meta Platforms Inc. as extremist and banned them in Russia. From now on, advertising accounts are blocked. Now it is illegal to run targeted ads, any attempt to bypass the system will block ad accounts forever. My profession became irrelevant in just one day. As for storymaking and direct administration: Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) (a product of Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia) lost a huge number of users, and coverage fell by 50%. My boss “fired me for the future”: for now, I continue to make stories, parse messages and advise clients, but I was warned that as soon as the coverage drops even more, they will not be interested in my services. Every day I feel like I’m on a powder keg: they can finally fire me tomorrow, maybe in a week, or they can still leave me at work. And, most importantly, even my superiors cannot know this for sure. Yesterday’s stability is a big question today.»

The blocking affected not only Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) (a product of Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia), but also the TikTok video creation application. TikTok has long been not just a platform for creating funny videos, but also one of the most popular advertising platforms in the world. In April 2020, TikTok earned more than $78 million from the App Store and Google Play, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower Store.

The peculiarity of the application is that it is much easier to gain popularity there: posting 10 videos in a row, you can safely assume that one of them will fall into the recommendations. 

Nastya, former tiktoker, TikTok audience 20 people as of January 000

“I have been making videos on TikTok since 2019. At first it was a funny interpretation of my life situations, then I did a review on cosmetics, and, one fine day, a small local cosmetics store wrote to me about advertising. I had to review their new collection. Since then, I have recorded more than 50 commercials, followers from TikTok also went to my Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) (a product of Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia), and there are already completely new advertisers. With the help of advertising, I was able to start providing for myself in my 20s, even helping my parents. When TikTok restricted access to the app due to checking it for knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, people immediately found a way to bypass the system and continue to post new videos. I decided that I didn’t want to lose my income and my followers, and I did the same. The result is deplorable: my account was permanently deleted due to violation of the community rules. Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) (a product of the Meta company, which is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia), I deactivated for a while, I have no desire to run it. I am looking for a part-time job in advertising agencies, by profession I am a future marketer.

Ekaterina Kozeikina, psychologist, systemic family therapist

The girls found themselves in extremely difficult situations, and I’m sorry that we all now have to go through such a difficult period. At such moments, landmarks can be lost and faith in the best can collapse. However, it is worth making every effort not to give up, but to continue to live and act, gradually building new supports.

Unfortunately, now many people are not immune from job loss. And when we lose it, we inevitably experience stress. To cope with a crisis situation, it is important not to pause, not to freeze, but to continue to act. In this case, anger at the situation that happened can help. The energy of anger is a powerful source of strength that will allow you to move forward despite obstacles. However, it should not be directed at yourself. Now it is especially important to show kindness and compassion to yourself, to treat yourself as carefully as possible. Only in this way can we survive, become stronger and turn the crisis into a point of growth.

If it is not possible to act immediately, you can sit down and write down the possible development of events, your feelings about this and the measures that you can take. For example, if a layoff is coming, you can get all your feelings about it out on paper, and then make a list of possible fields and companies that might suit you, as well as think about which of your friends and acquaintances you can ask for help in finding a job. In addition, it is important to remember that knowledge and skills cannot be discounted. Therefore, investing in your education is now more important than ever. 

Despite the daunting uncertainty and complexities we now face, it is worth seeing this period as an opportunity to take another step forward. Looking for a new job can really be a great incentive for development and self-realization.

During difficult times, it’s especially important to take care of yourself and keep doing the things that make you feel better and balance your emotional state: going for walks, meeting friends, exercising. If it is difficult to cope with stress on your own, it is important to consult a psychologist.

I wish all of us strength and perseverance to cope with this difficult period for all!