CAIRO — More Egyptian families of low-income and working‐class backgrounds have discovered video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and TikTok as a means of income. While adhering to stay-at-home guidance to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, amateur content creators have been producing short videos of their daily routines.

In this most populous Arab country, around 32.5% of the population lives in conditions of extreme poverty, according to the statistical institution CAMPAS. Many low-income households have found salvation in video blogs. By using basic and accessible tools — a mobile phone camera and a good internet connection — they have been able to tap into the advertising revenue of video-streaming platforms.

Their virtually zero-budget content has reached millions of views, outperforming much higher quality video content posted by famous musicians, artists, and TV- show presenters in Egypt.

Wafaa El Gawad's family has one of these countless YouTube channels. In less than a year, the clips broadcast on the vlog — many of them showing the family cooking traditional dishes and buying electronic devices and Eid outfits — have reached 35 million views and climbed YouTube trending list in Egypt.