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The beginning is always the hardest. Stick with it until you see some results and keep adapting.

Interview with Aticharn Cherngchavano
Content Creator and Founder of spin9

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Hi Aticharn, could you please introduce yourself and share with us what do you do?

I’m Aticharn Cherngchavano, a journalist and a video content creator, focusing on technology, automotive, and aerospace. We usually make product reviews, experimenting with and expressing opinions about newly launched products, cars, devices, or services.

What inspired you to start ‘Being Digital’ and establish your online identity as spin9?

I started this career as a tech journalist. Being with the latest tech for decades makes me have the ‘Digital Mindset’ and I was lucky enough to get most products hands-on experience before the market.

Why did you choose to create content about technology, automotive and aerospace, what has fascinated you about those areas? What do you think are the challenges for women in technology?

It started from my very own passion. I have always been fascinated with technology since I was a kid. Even before high school, my favorite place to hang out was an IT plaza known as Pantip where there was a sea of computer stores. I would spend my entire weekend at some computer shop learning how to put parts together, and tinker with electronic devices. That was probably what led me to my interest in automotive and aerospace later on in life. I like to learn how things work and how to push them to work even better.

I think the challenges for women in technology started very early for them. While boys are often given STEM toys like cars or planes to play with, girls are expected to like certain kinds of toys that some boys aren’t even allowed to touch like dolls, stuffed animals, or cooking toys.

Most often, those toys aren’t as educational and may unknowingly discourage them to pursue science. If they do get into a science or technology field which is most likely dominated by men, they have to work harder to prove that they belong there. If we want to change that, we have to go back to the root of the problem and start early.

What was your biggest challenge as an Online Influencer/Content Creator, and what was the turning point that made you as visible as you are today?

To me, the biggest challenge is how you have to keep moving all the time. Being a content creator means you constantly have to come up with something new and interesting while trying to distinguish yourself from other creators out there. Every time a new video is released, it should be better than the one before. You have to always be on the lookout for what could make great content and that can be exhausting sometimes.

I consider myself lucky that the nature of my work as a tech journalist/blogger has led me to many different places in the world. That coupled with my passion for airplanes inspired me to create plane-related content like flight reviews every time I travel somewhere. Flight reviews videos weren’t and maybe still aren’t that common on Thailand’s YouTube, so I think maybe that’s what sent some of the attention toward me and my channel. Even though my main content is technology, a lot of the viewers were introduced to the spin9 channel by flight reviews first.

How long did it take you to build your online visibility into a valuable business? Do you think gender is an important factor that could influence your/others' success in this field?

It took me several years to move from text-based to video-based content. I think things started to take off from there because people enjoy watching videos more than reading blogs. It also gives my audiences a chance to see my face instead of just reading my text.

I’d like to believe that gender does not contribute much to my success in the field. I see a lot of women thrive in this very same field as well, and I think it’s a wonderful thing because the audience, whether they are male or female, can have someone they can relate to.

What is your secret to stand out among other billions of content creators? What is your work philosophy?

Before turning into a full-time online content creator, my job had been as a tech journalist working with a free TV network and I hosted a tech show on that channel for 10 years. The way TV shows are run is nothing like creating content on YouTube. It’s so much bigger and involves many more people. I had always been taught to pay the most attention to the accuracy of the information we present on the show. I really believe that the experience I gathered from working as a TV tech journalist has formed me into the kind of content creator I am today.

How do you promote diversity and gender equality in your team and among your audiences as an influencer?

Among my team, everyone knows that high-quality work is expected from them regardless of what their gender is. We have people from different backgrounds working together and learning from each other every day. We intend to keep our team small, but if and when we do grow to be bigger, diversity and gender equality are promised to be one of the top priorities.

In terms of diversity among our audiences, I am fortunate to have Sueching, my wife who happens to be a tech journalist and influencer with the same amount of work experience, to join my channel.

She brings with her a fresh perspective and draws in more female viewers. She often points out the stereotypes that women are faced with, so we can be very careful not to repeat them.

Where do you usually find new ideas or inspiration for your content and what do you do when you get stuck?

I watch a lot of videos on the internet just to get some ideas about what other people are doing and what the viewers are curious about. I like to read articles and follow many people and news outlets on social media. Many times, new ideas or inspiration pop up from nowhere when you have enough information to process. Sometimes, inspiration comes from people around me and from the questions they ask, too.

What would you recommend to business owners/entrepreneurs who are inexperienced with technology but want to be digital? Where should they start?

First things first, they should understand why their business needs to be digital. Is it for cost efficiency? Better productivity? Advantages in competition? A better way to reach customers? Or something else. Understanding this will give a clearer picture of what they would like to obtain and where they should start.

My advice is don’t start big and invest all at once. Sometimes it’s as simple as shifting your mindset from focusing on products to customers’ needs and finding different methods to satisfy those needs. There are many free and simple-to-use tools on the internet. Just remember, the beginning is always the hardest. Stick with it until you see some results and keep adapting.

In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of using technology in daily life, and what is your advice to enhance cybersecurity awareness?

We always find comfort in saying that life in those days was so much simpler, but is that really true? Technology helps us to be better connected to the rest of the world. We are more productive. We have better access to valuable knowledge that helps level the field for the less fortunate. We are more in touch with our loved ones and the overall quality of life is just so much more improved. The cons are often brought up only when we use too much of it that it becomes unhealthy. That’s why moderation is key.

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