MIRI, March 21 — Mirian content creators DBstory feel their role on social media is not only to produce interesting content for viewers, but also to show the world the uniqueness of Sarawak and the essence of what makes Sarawakians special.
Team co-founder Leong Jeen Hern told thesundaypost DBstory is a translation from Mandarin, with DB standing for ‘doubi’ or amusing. While the core of their content focuses on food, travel, and people, the presentation is usually humorous and entertaining; seeking to bring enjoyment to viewers yet staying informative.
When the team first started producing videos for Facebook, the idea was to shine a spotlight on Miri. They spent a substantial amount of time looking for interesting content to represent the ‘Oil Town’.
“We did a bit of research on content creators in Malaysia and Sarawak. Most of those in West Malaysia did a lot of content relating to local culture, food, and people.
“Whereas for Sarawak, we noticed that the content usually focussed on Kuching, a colourful city with rich historical background. Hence, we decided to focus on the northern part of Sarawak, starting off in Miri — my hometown,” he said.
Food series
To begin with, the team decided traditional food would be an interesting way to get viewers hooked on Miri’s delights. They opted for the original tastes of traditional home-cooked dishes.
DBstory’s traditional food series quickly gained popularity amongst netizens, particularly locals here who shared the videos extensively on Facebook.
“We believe people here have special sentiments for the traditional taste of food, whether expensive or affordable. The taste may differ according to one’s preference and taste buds.
“But still, our experience when making this content was quite memorable because the sentiments are what enabled the businesses to keep going for decades,” said Leong.
Mural project
In 2019, DBstory did a mural project in collaboration with local sponsors and with support from Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Sebastian Ting and Senator Alan Ling.
It took months preparing and liaising with local agencies, but the outcome was phenomenal.
“It was the biggest and the most challenging project we did, but the amount of support we received was positively overwhelming. We were glad that we did it, successfully, it was like leaving a print of us in the city,” Leong said.
Educational
Leong believes content creators have a responsibility to educate viewers just like mainstream media such as print, digital, and broadcast networks.
As such, DBstory is constantly trying to create educational content that will raise awareness.
For their video ‘What should you do during a fire?’, the team visited the Miri Fire and Rescue Department to learn what firefighters do when carrying out their duties.
“The upside of being a social media personality is that we are able to put in our emotion and express our opinion when discussing certain issues.
“While the commenters may, sometimes, not be too kind, but at least, we have freedom to express ourselves and listen to our viewers directly,” Leong said.
He pointed out how certain Malaysian content creators expressed their opinions using strong language to emphasise their thoughts, which could provoke criticism.
“If their followers have no problem understanding them, it is not our place to criticise. Those who don’t like that way of expression can choose to filter out the content.
“Likewise, when content creators choose to put themselves out there publicly, they need to accept the criticism thrown at them, be it nice or nasty, digest and learn from it. It is part and parcel of the growing process,” Leong opined.
New platform
Last year, after steady growth in followers on Facebook and YouTube, DBstory decided to join TikTok to further widen their reach.
“We did a bit of Sarawakian content like ‘Enda Nemu Utai’ (I Don’t Know What), ‘Sarawak Drinks’, and ‘Sarawak Costumes’, which enlightened with comedic content easily understood by viewers.
“The feedback from viewers have been overwhelmingly positive. Much to our amazement for a team such as us that speaks Mandarin, we threw in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Sarawak’s Native languages in the mix to make it colourful. We got viewers from Indonesia expressing interest in our content, which was quite exhilarating.
“The comments have inspired us to do more similar content that educates viewers about Sarawak, its culture, and the beautiful people,” Leong said.
Expanding coverage
The anatomical science graduate shared DBstory had big plans for 2020, which were derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The plan was that we were going to collaborate with influencers and content creators in West Malaysia, travel into the interior of Sarawak, and discover different parts of the Land of the Hornbills.
“West Malaysians have always had curiosity about Sarawak. There is a lot of content about urban cities and remote villages we could explore. We had it all planned out but were forced to put a stop to it as travelling was not possible.”
Last July, DBstory was included by the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) in a media familiarisation trip to Long Selaan and Kampung Sting.
“It was beyond our expectation; the experience was phenomenal not only because of the place but the warm welcome we received.
“While the world is busy dealing with racism, religious issues, and politics, the ambience and the people were the total opposite. As urbanites, we don’t usually get the sort of warmth like that in the villages. It was certainly a refreshing experience,” said Leong.
With the government allowing domestic travel again, Leong said DBstory might plan something along these lines.
DBstory is also preparing to diversify its market to viewers in Taiwan and China.
“It would be a whole new challenge for us because they have different views on issues. The content and presentation would be different but we would work it out, while maintaining our core principles,” Leong said. — Borneo Post Online
