Written by: Ayra Nahida Abdul Aziz & Dr Vimala Govindaraju
KOTA SAMARAHAN, 23 May 2025 — Year 3 Strategic Communication students from Faculty of Education, Language and Communication (FELC), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) hosted an engaging and insightful event titled “The Future of Digital Media: A Sustainable Business Model” at the FELC Lobby. Organised as part of the Media Economics (PBF3164) course, the session welcomed fellow students, academic staff, and communication professionals for a deep dive into the realities of today’s digital media landscape.
The event featured Ms. Sandra Jaboh, Digital Marketing Executive at Karuna Sarawak and Operations & Social Media Manager at Bespoke Sdn Bhd, as the guest speaker. A Mass Communications graduate from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Ms. Jaboh shared insights from her years of industry experience, including previous roles at SOL Digital and Karuna Sarawak. Her portfolio includes campaigns for renowned brands such as Starbucks Malaysia, JD Sports, and Borneo Tuak Fest, and she was also recognised as the 2nd runner-up in the SOL x AdWorld Pro Content Marketing Challenge.
During her talk, Ms. Jaboh guided the audience through the evolving digital content ecosystem, highlighting how content is produced, distributed, and monetised across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. She stressed the importance of understanding algorithms and user behaviour to build effective, data-informed strategies.
One of the key themes of the session was sustainability in digital careers. Ms. Jaboh outlined various monetisation streams including advertising, affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, and digital product sales, while emphasising the risks of relying solely on one platform. She also provided a step-by-step walkthrough of the campaign lifecycle — from briefing and ideation to production, publishing, and reporting — underscoring the need for brand alignment and strong storytelling.
Addressing the challenges content creators face, such as burnout, inconsistent engagement, algorithm changes, and client demands, Ms. Jaboh offered practical strategies such as advance content planning, collaboration, and data analysis to overcome these hurdles.
She encouraged students to focus on meaningful engagement metrics like reach, saves, and conversion rates, rather than vanity metrics such as follower count. Her candid advice and real-world examples resonated strongly with attendees.
The session concluded with a Q&A, presentation of a token of appreciation, a group photo, and a student-led potluck. It was a well-rounded programme that not only brought textbook theories to life but also inspired students to view digital media through a professional lens.
The event was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Vimala Govindaraju, course coordinator for PBF3164, and reflected the students’ ability to execute a professionally-driven learning experience that combined academic rigour with practical exposure.
