Recently, both the English and Dutch press have featured articles about a new trend on social media: construction workers filming themselves while working. Some have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. What explains their success? Why do so many people find these videos enjoyable to watch?
Dutchbricklayers
An example of construction workers who have become influencers is two bricklayers from Leiden, Netherlands, who call themselves Dutchbricklayers. With cameras on their helmets and microphones on their tools, they produce content for social media. On their website, they offer bricklaying tips and have a modest webshop where you can buy T-shirts, among other items. But their main platforms are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Their highly viewed videos on the latter platform earned Dutchbricklayers the YouTube Silver Award in 2023. The instructional videos, in which they meticulously show how to perform specific bricklaying tasks, are particularly popular.
Just as you can watch a wall being built, you can follow a carpenter, an electrician, or an excavator operator on your favourite social media platform as they go about their daily work.
The Theatre of the Construction Site
What makes this type of content so popular? There is, of course, the educational aspect. DIY enthusiasts watch the videos to learn how to do it themselves at home. Additionally, there is a fascination with seeing how construction projects come to life. This is a fascination we at Klium understand very well, as we contribute to the construction site in our own way every day. Social media construction workers cater to this fascination with exciting and increasingly professional content.
