For NTU’s influencers, campus is a gold mine for content
Student influencers are tapping on relatable NTU experiences to draw an audience on TikTok and Instagram.
SINGAPORE — After chugging eight cans of Monster energy drinks and burning the midnight oil for his physics mid-term examination, Vinayak Ghai (@vinx.yxk on TikTok) felt like all his efforts were in vain — what he studied for did not come out in the exam.
Instead of joining his friends to discuss exam answers, the 23-year-old School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB) student went straight back to hall, opened TikTok and tapped the record button.
The 34-second vulgarity-filled video featured Vinayak heaving in anger, lamenting how each exam question felt unfamiliar while pointing a finger to the camera, which viewers found humorous.
To date, the TikTok video has garnered 214,000 views.
“There’s really so much to post about especially when you’re among students who think like you,” said Vinayak, who is known to his fans as “butter chicken” guy, a nickname derived from his catchphrase which he repeats with a distinct accent.
He is among several NTU student influencers tapping into campus life for content and reaping viral results.
Hall life makes me relatable
Rayyan Afiq (@rayyanroulette on TikTok), 22, with over 155,000 followers, is one of NTU’s most prominent influencers.
Before NTU, he was known for make-up reviews and lifestyle vlogs. After matriculating this year, the Nanyang Business School student gained traction for a content series featuring his roommate, with videos garnering over a million views.
@rayyanroulette wish him luck for his date everyone!! I hope me and my room mate can go on a double date soon fingers crossed!!
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys（纯享版） - Fmoel
In the series, Rayyan dresses his roommate for a date and does make-up for him. From an outfit consisting of a graphic tee with shorts and slides, Rayyan transformed him to be more presentable for his date with a white baby tee, long dark pants and glasses.
“I like to show such chemistry because I feel the differences between my peers are entertaining to watch, like me and my roommate’s shenanigans, or me and my athletic friends doing something sporty together,” he said.
“I think people find my lifestyle funny, even though I don’t try to be,” he said.
Xavier Tang, 22, a second-year CCEB student who regularly watches content from NTU influencers, finds these creators relatable.
“My favourite form of NTU influencer content is those that mirror my school life, as it reassures me that there are others in the same boat,” said Xavier.
@miratgx yum
♬ original sound - tiffanie
Another NTU influencer, Tiffanie Goh (@miratgx on TikTok), 21, posts vlogs of her daily student life through meal-prep videos in hall and “get ready with me” videos offering inspiration for school outfits.
“It makes me feel like I’m taking my audience along with me, doing mundane activities like studying for exams or doing laundry in hall. It makes my content more relatable and authentic.”
The second-year Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information student added that she often receives comments asking about hall, exchange programmes, and other school matters.
“From then I realised I could build a consistent community by making my platform a source of information and advice based on my NTU experience.”
Community and outreach lead Arya Zade from Influencees, a local start-up connecting brands with influencers, shared that school and campus content is “easy to make”, and students do not need “fancy production” to do it.
“Student creators already have a ready-made setting and built-in audience of people who get the in-jokes, whether it's something to do with lectures or hall life,” said Ms Zade.
“It's often how they find their first audience before branching out into other topics,” she added.
In November, Influencees opened nominations for their inaugural Student Creator Awards, aiming to recognise student creators who excel in content creation and community engagement and make them more visible to brands.
Ultraman wins brands over
For some students, their campus content has already led to paid collaborations with brands.
In August, second-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Tan Pei Yu (@peiyu05 on Instagram), 21, was approached by adidas to be a part of their promotional video launching a collection of T-shirts, caps, backpacks and shoe bags in collaboration with NTU.
The video garnered more than 167,000 views on Instagram.
The Chronicle followed Pei Yu on a video shoot for a recent partnership with Anytime Fitness NTU. He nominated himself for Anytime Fitness’ Face of The Floor challenge, which aims to highlight well-known gym members in Singapore.
In the video, he embodies his NTU Ultraman persona, striking his signature introductory move and comically pressing his face against the floor.
“Because of content creation, I got to know a lot of people,” said Pei Yu. “I get to do marketing for brands and even manage their social media accounts, so it gives me a side income, which I feel grateful for.”
Pei Yu shared that he earns a four-figure monthly income from brand deals, naming SK Jewellery and SHEIN as some of his favourite past collaborations.
Audiences abroad
For these influencers, their viewer base has expanded beyond NTU and Singapore.
Many of Rayyan’s videos about hall life have reached a Malaysian audience. He shared that it was interesting to learn about the differences between hall life in Malaysia and Singapore through his viewers’ comments.
“When my video showed me leaving my door unlocked with all my expensive belongings in my room, I got many comments from Malaysians saying if I did the same there, it would all get stolen,” Rayyan said.
Pei Yu’s iconic transition video where he backflips at various locations around NTU drew several foreign viewers complimenting the campus’ charm. The video has garnered more than 88,000 views.
“As I featured iconic NTU landmarks like The Hive (UOB Innovation Hub) and Yunnan Garden, I got told by viewers that our campus looks very nice, and they even asked me to give them a campus tour if they visit Singapore,” said Pei Yu.
The cost of virality
When Rayyan posted a TikTok video on Sept 16 patronising a hall-based make-up business to promote its cheap prices, it unexpectedly led to the student start-up’s demise.
“I got 200,000 views overnight, but the same day, hall authorities reached out to the student with a notice,” he recalled. SAO informed the student on the University’s hall rules and regulations which later led the business to cease operations.
“It made me more cautious whenever I am posting in collaboration with people in NTU. The last thing I want is to get myself or anyone else evicted from hall.”
NTU influencers also grapple with other challenges like balancing their studies with content creation and dealing with hate comments.
@vinx.yxk My peach oolong changee and macdonalds for motivation went to waste!
♬ QKThr - Aphex Twin
As Vinayak’s follower count increased, so did the expectations he set upon himself when making content.
“I started becoming wary of the quality of my content. It would take me an hour to slowly go through, re-watch, edit, caption, adjust speed and add sound effects,” said Vinayak. “I had to make sure I planned my day well. Or else, I wasn’t getting any school work done.”
On Aug 30, Rayyan posted a video addressing a racist comment on one of his campus life videos. The commenter expressed “shock that a Malay person could get into university”.
“It made me very upset. I think it’s really unfair for people to stereotype and generalise the entire Malay community. They even attacked me personally,” Rayyan said.
“But besides that, for every one hater, I have 99 supporters.”
