Segment: Stop Blaming The Algorithm - You Need To Adapt Or Die In Media

Summary

Konnected Minds Podcast with Derrick Abaitey

Episode: Stop Blaming The Algorithm – You Need To Adapt Or Die In Media
Date: June 2, 2026
Guest: Amiya Aldebra (Influencer, Blogger, Media Pioneer)
Host: Derrick Abaitey

---

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the hard truths about carving out a successful path in the media landscape, especially in the age of social algorithms and ever-shifting opportunities. Host Derrick Abaitey sits down with trailblazing blogger and influencer Amiya Aldebra (celebrating 20 years in media!) for a candid conversation about adaptability, building a personal brand, transforming content into business, and the intersection between passion and practicality for young creators today.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Harsh Reality for Creators: It’s Not Just the Algorithm

• Many creators blame social media algorithms for their declining reach or engagement, but Amiya insists the real challenge is a failure to adapt:
  • “Sometimes you go somewhere and people who follow you are like, I haven’t seen you nowadays. You don’t post. I’m like, I post every day. The thing is, I’m doing it, but they don’t see it. And I blame it on the platform.” – Amiya, [01:07]
• Derrick challenges this thinking, suggesting creators often need to reevaluate their strategies instead:
  • “You blame it on a platform, but you don’t blame the fact that maybe you might need to adapt the way you create your content to suit…not the audience?” – Derrick, [01:18]

---

2. Passion vs. Profit: Turning Content into Business

• Derrick probes the journey from content creator to a sustainable business, asking for Amiya’s blueprint for young people:
  • “How does a young person go from content to actually turning it into business? What would be your blueprint for them?” – Derrick, [00:33]
• Amiya notes the common gap between popularity and commercial sense:
  • “A lot of the time you have people who create content in the name of either you’re an influencer or you are a musician. They have the popularity, but the business sense is not switched on early enough.” – Amiya, [00:47]
• His advice is to pursue passion, but be realistic and strategic. The vast majority of courses and career paths—outside of fields like architecture or medicine—don’t have clear roads:
  • “By 20 people should know what they want to do. And, and even though I branched totally off from science, it wasn’t entirely new to me because…even while I was doing my sciences, those elements [of writing, creating] were there.” – Amiya, [05:59]

---

3. The Non-Linear Career: From Science, to Publishing, to Media

• Amiya shares his own unconventional journey:
  • Started in general science in senior high.
  • Switched to Publishing Studies at KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) because it felt closer to his media passion.
  • Realized quickly publishing was more about book making, but ran with new opportunities and skills nonetheless:
    • “Once I got accepted and I went, I found out it was more book making…it was a bit, a bit not exactly what I was expecting, but I went through it…and whatever opportunities that came my way through what I had learned has helped to make me who I am today.” – Amiya, [04:48]

---

4. The Power of Calculated Gambles and Adaptability

• Success is rarely a straight line, and often comes from saying yes to unexpected opportunities and rolling with luck and fate:
  • “Anytime I’m telling my story, I think luck has a part…Is it fate or luck or whatever?” – Amiya, [08:59]
• Amiya’s career became more defined when he won Best Publishing Student and landed a national service opportunity with Ovation magazine—an opportunity he actively pursued rather than just taking his government posting:
  • “These guys said if I want to do my national service. So I contacted them and then they made the changes and so I went to do my national service…that was pretty much where…the things I learned, I would practice it and get better in it.” – Amiya, [08:01 – 08:56]

---

5. The Introvert’s Advantage in Media

• Derrick observes that Amiya seems introverted, yet has thrived in the public world of journalism and influence. Amiya responds:
  • “I’m very calm, I’m very observant and so sometimes when perhaps I’m doing the job, I do it a different kind of eye…things will happen that I’ll pick it up and I’ll create content out of it and, and that’s what people will now be talking about after the event because I saw it, I captured them in my own eyes and then they became quite different from what everybody else did.” – Amiya, [09:31]

---

6. Coping with Setbacks, Leveraging Background, and Evolving

• Plans changed after his father’s death—he originally intended to create a publishing business with him. Instead, he translated his skills into digital media and blogging:
  • “…After school I would set up a publishing business with my father. But unfortunately he died before you could realize that dream…So yeah, I mean, what happened after…I really want to understand, which point did you pivot into blogging?” – [07:20 – 08:01]
• Throughout, Amiya emphasizes staying open to evolution, using all parts of his background (science, arts, writing) to inform his unique content and perspectives.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Blaming the Platform:
  • “Sometimes you go somewhere and people who follow you are like, I haven’t seen you nowadays. You don’t post. I’m like, I post every day. The thing is, I’m doing it, but they don’t see it. And I blame it on the platform.” – Amiya, [01:07]
• On Adapting:
  • “You blame it on a platform, but…maybe you might need to adapt the way you create your content.” – Derrick, [01:18]
• On Passion and Study Choices:
  • “By 20 people should know what they want to do. And…even though I branched totally off from science, it wasn’t entirely new…even while I was doing my sciences, those elements [of writing, creating] were there.” – Amiya, [05:59]
• On Leveraging Introversion:
  • “I’m very calm, I’m very observant and so sometimes when perhaps I’m doing the job, I do it a different kind of eye…things will happen that I’ll pick it up and I’ll create content out of it and…that’s what people will now be talking about after the event.” – Amiya, [09:31]

---

Timeline of Key Segments

• [00:29–01:07] – Amiya’s early years in media and first thoughts on business vs. popularity
• [01:07–01:18] – The algorithm dilemma and challenges of content visibility
• [03:01–05:59] – Academic path and the tension between science, publishing, and media passion
• [07:20–08:01] – Pivot from a family business dream to digital media/blogging
• [08:01–09:05] – Taking calculated opportunities and role of luck
• [09:08–09:31] – Embracing and leveraging an introverted personality in media

---

Takeaways

• Success in media is more about adaptability and business acumen than blaming social platforms or waiting for opportunity.
• Formal education and career paths are rarely linear; transferable skills and evolving interests are critical.
• Introverts can thrive in the spotlight by offering unique perspectives and observant storytelling.
• Don’t be afraid to gamble, say yes to unexpected chances, and continuously realign your content with both passion and strategy.

---

Listen to the full episode for more insights from Amiya Aldebra and Derrick Abaitey on building resilience and relevance in today’s evolving media landscape.

Transcript

[Grainger Advertiser]

Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Interviewer Derek]

How many years have you been in media?

[Amiya Aldebra]

So this is my 20th year.

[Interviewer Derek]

Did Ame Aldebra as a brand eventually become profitable enough for you to say, yes, I made a great decision. How does a young person go from content to actually turning it into business? What would be your blueprint for them? Well, so I think no amiyah, these are the honest conversations that creators need to have. A lot of the time you have people who create content in the name of either you're an influencer or you are a musician. They have the popularity, but the business sense is not switched on early enough.

[Amiya Aldebra]

Sometimes you go somewhere and people who follow you are like, I haven't seen you nowadays. You don't post. I'm like, I post every day. The thing is, I'm doing it, but they don't see it. And I blame it on the platform.

[Interviewer Derek]

You blame it on a platform, but you don't blame the fact that maybe you might need to adapt the way you create your content to suit not the audience? No. 20 years being a blogger and an influencer, is that a path that pays enough for young people to do it as well? Well, who is my guest today? The legend, influencer, the blogger. The first to actually do a lot of the things we are seeing today. What are we going to talk about? A few things. Which is why I want you to stick around. On the 9th of September, Connected Minds live is going to Azekrom Massey. It's happening at the Great Hall Knust, but you need to reserve a seat. It's so limited and the details are in the description. If you're not already in our tribe community as an entrepreneur, the link is in the description. You can do that now for us and be part of our weekly conversations that we have on our community platform. Learn tech, start a business, migrate or wait for the government to give you a job. This is our discussion to today. So if you make it to the end, I'd really love to know. How you doing Senior?

[Amiya Aldebra]

Very well, Derek. Thanks for Having me here, I bet

[Interviewer Derek]

you never thought I'd be doing this.

[Amiya Aldebra]

I know, right? But I mean, watching the growth, I mean, you've been that fire guy. You. Once you want to do something, you, you, you, you put your mind to it and you make it work. So once it started, I knew it would get more where it has gotten to. Yeah.

[Interviewer Derek]

I think you're probably one of the few people that knew I was doing music, right? Yeah.

[Amiya Aldebra]

Yeah, back in. But you never said it. You never said anything on the Internet. Yeah.

[Interviewer Derek]

Okay. You finished senior high and then from senior high, where did you go to?

[Amiya Aldebra]

So from senior high I went to Ken USD University of Science and Technology. So that was when I did a switch and now did publishing studies. Because back in senior high I was doing general science. And then I switched to publishing when I got to university.

[Interviewer Derek]

And around that time, what did you want to become? What did you want to do after university?

[Amiya Aldebra]

The truth is, growing up, you went through all the curves. You know, at one point you think you're doing you're going to be this. At another stage you feel like you're going to be something else. And so I think I went through a lot of that. But what made the difference was wanting to gamble. And gumbo was something that I felt was close to me. So when I finished secondary school, typically I would have had to wait a year to apply and then go to the university. But things changed and so now you could apply immediately after school. So which meant that I was competing for space in university with my seniors who had finished before me.

[Interviewer Derek]

Right.

[Amiya Aldebra]

And so I was like, let me just take this gamble. If, if I'm accepted, fine. If not, I wait till it's my, my year. So I get the forms from the university and then going through the programs, I see publishers like, this is something new. It's it, it looks like media. And I have loved media. So I was like, let me give it a try. Try a try. Yeah.

[Interviewer Derek]

I mean, your parents, do you have money?

[Amiya Aldebra]

So I was like, let's give it a try. And I gave it a try and then I was accepted and I had to go to university almost immediately. And I did it.

[Interviewer Derek]

Okay. Was being accepted at university more exciting to you than getting a degree that will most likely give you a job?

[Amiya Aldebra]

Because back then I probably didn't know what would work. And because I was in the sciences, it felt like you had to go and be a doctor or something. And that part seemed a little bit clear because you're going to go into specific sort of industry or field and then everything else comes into play. But venturing into publishing, I just didn't know what to expect. And in fact, the moment I stepped foot on the ground, I realized it wasn't even what I expected because I was thinking of publishing in very general terms. But then once I got accepted and I went, I found out it was more book making and so it was a bit, A bit. Not exactly what I, I was expecting, but I went through it and I believe a lot of the things I learned and whatever opportunities that came my way through what I had learned has helped to make me who I am today.

[Interviewer Derek]

Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, I'm sure one way or the other, it always has a way of contributing to where you are currently. But a 20 year old Amiya Deborah going to university today, if you had a 20 year old boy going to university, what would you advise them to go and study?

[Amiya Aldebra]

Well, I would tell them to do what they feel is them. They're passionate about how they want to grow and evolve, whatever part that is. But then again, you don't know, apart from if you're in a very fixed sort of maybe course, then the path is quite clear. You know, you're going to spend so many years doing architecture and when you come out, this is, this is it. If not for those sort of courses, the rest you really, really don't know. Because even if you did business, the evolution could be anyway, right? If you did something else, it could be anyway. So I think by 20 people should know what they want to do. And, and even though I branched totally off from science, it wasn't entirely new to me because back in the Bisada I was part of the Writers and Debaters club. So it wasn't entirely new that I would go into a course that was more appreciative of art, writing and creating because even while I was doing my sciences, those elements were there.

[Interviewer Derek]

Did you actually just choose the course because you wanted to graduate or you were thinking of becoming something out of that course?

[Amiya Aldebra]

Yeah, so I think my love for media, because I've been a consumer and it had grown to the point where I felt I could go into it and then control it the way I have and create products that will be close to the content that I had been consuming. And so it was a bit of that. And the plan, even when I went into, into publishing, was that after school I would set up a publishing business with my father. But unfortunately he died before you could realize that dream. Yeah, we could realize that.

[Interviewer Derek]

So yeah, I mean, what happened After I. I really want to understand, which point did you pivot into blogging?

[Amiya Aldebra]

So again, when I was in tech, I won the best publishing student and it was sponsored. One of the prize sponsors for the prize was Ovation magazine. And so they said if I wanted to do my national service, I could come and do it there. They would let me work there. So after, after uni, what I did was I waited for the national service postings to see where the system would put me. And then when the placement came, they put me at the National Service Secretariat in Tema or somewhere. And I was like, this has nothing to do with where I want to go. And so I was like, these guys said if I want to do my national service. So I contacted them and then they made the changes and so I went to do my national service Motivation. And that was pretty much where after university, the things I learned, I would practice it and get better in it.

[Interviewer Derek]

All of this was definitely a gamble for you.

[Amiya Aldebra]

And I think a lot of it has been. Is it fate or luck or whatever? Because sometimes.

[Interviewer Derek]

Or height.

[Amiya Aldebra]

Maybe the height too. Yes. So anytime I'm telling my story, I think luck has a part because you,

[Interviewer Derek]

you strike me as. As an introvert.

[Amiya Aldebra]

Yeah, exactly.

[Interviewer Derek]

So for you to have had this journey in journalism influencing blogging, so I

[Amiya Aldebra]

think it's fate, there must have been an advantage.

[Interviewer Derek]

So where is the advantage?

[Amiya Aldebra]

I can't really tell. Maybe it's a personality. I'm very calm, I'm very observant and so sometimes when perhaps I'm doing the job, I do it a different kind of eye. And I realized that when I was. Sometimes you go to event Ghana Music Awards and some of the media people are so engrossed in other things and things will happen that I'll pick it up and I'll create content out of it and, and that's what people will now be talking about after the event because I saw it, I captured them in my own eyes and then they became quite different from what everybody else did.

[Interviewer Derek]

Connected Minds Podcast

[Shopify Advertiser]

when it's time to scale your business, it's time for Shopify. Get everything you need to grow the way you want. Like all the way. Stack more sales with the best converting checkout on the planet. Track your cha chings from every channel right in one spot. And turn real time reporting into big time opportunities. Take your business to a whole new level. Switch to Shopify. Start your free trial today.