Profile: Meet Diaan Grobler
1
0
1
0
If you live in South Africa, the chances are very likely that you have seen his face or one of his funny videos on TikTok or Instagram. Diaan Grobler is a name that you either should know about already or a name you should remember because he is certainly going places!
Diaan collectively has over 30K followers on his social media platforms, with some popular videos reaching exponential views on a daily basis. He is a young South African openly taking on the culture of social media and making it his own, from Comedy by doing funny sketches to more serious matters such as mental health awareness, Diaan is no shy person on making his feelings on topics known and a person that you cannot help but smile at (or rather with). I sat down and asked Diaan a few questions about who he is and what his online presence is all about.
Who is Diaan Grobler for those who haven’t heard your name yet?
“Hi, my name is Diaan, I’m 24 years old. I am employed full time and studying part-time for my BA Communication Science degree. I am a social media enthusiast with the extroverted personality to match. I live by morals of being fiercely loyal whilst being prepared to offer assistance when needed. I enjoy engaging in a diverse spectrum of topics being discussed, of course, sharing opinions simultaneously. I’m proud to say I’m hugely driven by nature irrespective of the task at hand.”
You’ll seldomly catch me without my most important accessory being the million-dollar smile.
From Cheerleading, Being a Popl Influencer, a Social Media Influencer and content creator on platforms such as TikTok, you have built up quite a reputation of being full of energy, very creative and always able to bring a smile to your viewers. What is your inspiration and motivation behind this drive of yours that can be seen? What is your secret to this? “My inspiration mostly stems from personal experiences, allowing me to easily relate to TikToks I record. The message I wish to spread is that of positivity & awareness. Achieving one smile a day from my content would be more than satisfying. I myself turned to make the content of this nature as a defense mechanism. Gaining both mental stability and endurance on a day to day basis. In doing this I’d like to think I inspire others to follow suit. Comedy should bare no discrimination, it is therefore the driving force behind my choice to utilise social media platforms to get the message across to whoever may need it.”
How would you describe a day in the life of Diaan Grobler? “Organized chaos is the best way to describe a day in my life. I’d like to believe there’s always a method behind the madness.”
Recently you were a part of AM Premium Activewears swimwear range photoshoot. How was the experience for you? “I’ve been privileged to work alongside multiple photographers. My past shoots have mainly consisted of individual work with the odd occasional shoots pertaining to group settings when requested. The AM Premium shoot had been a new experience having grown accustomed to more intimate shoots having a maximum of four people present at a time. As one can expect the nerves settle in quite fast upon arrival of the shooting location. Naturally once the ice breaks it is noticeable how comfortable we all seemed around one another. Networking and sharing past experiences was surely one of many high lights of the day.”
Popl is quite new to the South African market and is gaining quite a bit of traction in the last few months. You being a proud Influencer, can you briefly explain why Popl can be a great feature to add to your daily life? “I consider myself fortunate to have formed a part of the few individuals to gain information and knowledge pertaining to Popl product prior to being launched in SA.
Popl South Africa’s CEO happens to be a dear and close friend of mine. Having been witness to the rapid growth of this new networking product it became evident that Popl ambassadors & Influencers would be beneficial. Thanks to my social media standing and platforms I was able to form part of the Popl Influencers group. In order to qualify or gain acceptance into these groups, there are requirements that need to be met. Ambassadors having slightly more requirements to uphold to being an official Popl influencer/representative. I have been placed in numerous positions to network on a larger scale with a more diverse group & personalities’
Popl speedily gained momentum worldwide. This phone attachment enables users to simply tap their Popl’s together delivering instantaneous results on any social or business platforms the respective individual may have. In layman’s terms, the Popl phone attachment can suffice as a digital business card and social tag.”
Since TikTok has been a major factor in your day to day life, what is the one thing you wish people knew about the content you create for your channel or something that you wish you knew before you started? “If I could change anything at this point I would have loved being introduced to the platform earlier. Starting off on the app self-educating was necessary in order to best understand and apply every aspect possible/available to be used. From this, it had become apparent editing & keeping an eye on the latest trends go hand in hand if you aspire to gain a substantial amount of followers. Baring in mind that TikTok has an algorithm that adapts to your content and like any new creator I tried remaining relevant by copying trends. I Surprisingly connected soon thereafter with local creators sharing/exchanging tips and tricks in order to achieve & deliver the best quality video.”
Social media has formed a major part of everyday life for everyone. Regardless of your age or background, most people are on some form of a platform. Do you think this is a good thing? “Circumstances and technology change continuously I find it is best to evolve & adapt simultaneously rather than catching up months later. Access to the Internet in this “digital era” is no longer viewed as a luxury to the majority of the population. However, we’re well aware with great power and knowledge comes great responsibility. It’s important to be clear with your intentions & what you wish to gain from the different platforms available on the web. Commonly used networking platforms were developed to connect with like-minded individuals, to share moments with family/friends.
The same platforms are utilized as affordable marketing for businesses. I use mine to inspire & be a voice of support when called for. Similar to many things in life these platforms can easily be abused.
It’s within your own responsibility to ensure prior to taking to these platforms you’re not using it to rid yourself of anger or omit cyberbullying.
I believe its good to have social platforms as long as all users abide by the community guidelines. It is equally important to report users that deviate from these guidelines. It has to be made aware that there are consequences and some form of action will be taken to ensure the safety of other users.”
Is there anyone in the public eye of South Africa that you would love to meet, or do a collaboration with on a project? “I’ve already met her, a fellow TikTok creator, a new addition to our ever-growing group of friends. We are not blood-related as many have assumed – Chané Grobler.”
When there are no cameras around, and you are all by yourself. What do you do to ‘switch’ off from the world? “In my “me time” I generally do some soul searching. If there’s room for improvements and how I could best achieve them. I often need to self reflect to better control my emotions. Music becomes my voice and escapes more often than I realise. It’s become rather therapeutic in a sense. I notice every aspect from the lyrics to the end to recharge myself by the melody accompanying each song drawing strength from each artist and through this reminding my self of all the positive affirmations applicable to me.”
What has been the biggest lesson you have learned about yourself or life, in general, this year?
“Don’t assume it to be normal when experiencing ANY form of abuse.”
What should we know about Diaan Grobler, that we don’t already know? “Being driven naturally has assisted me in completing a task in as little as possible time. Thankfully I seldom get easily distracted the moment my head is in the game.”
2021 is upon us. 2020 has tested many people in various ways. For 2021 what are your own personal goals that you would like to achieve? What is next For you? “Goals I’ve set out to achieve during the upcoming year. Completion of my degree. Forcing my self to get out of my comfort zone and take to a new career path. Up my spontaneity, however, still managing a less rushed routine. To involve more active working and meet up with more like-minded individuals”
Take a look at some of Diaan’s Social Media content below from being professionally photographed by Hannes Greyling, Jaunre Bothma and Gerhard Meiring to some of his TikTok videos gaining popularity and earning him the title of a South African Influencer.
A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.
Diaan is available on the following platforms
Facebook: Diaan Grobler
Instagram: @d_i_a_a_n_
TikTok: @d_i_a_a_n_
Want to get your very own Popl?
Click Below and use the code DIAAN15 for a discount
Diaan also has a fan page, set up by one of his fans on Instagram, called diaan_fanpage that is definitely a must-follow for any future Diaan fans. The page is dedicated to keeping you up to date on what Diaan gets up too!
I reached out to this page and asked them why they decided to create a fan page. This was their response. “I created this fan page because Diaan is really such an amazing person and a people’s person, he has an amazing personality and he really appreciates his fans and always tries to reply to all the fan messages he gets. He doesn’t let any hate get to him. The main thing was when I was watching his live and someone said they were not okay and he continued to talk to that person just to make sure that person is okay. So that just shows he has an amazing and caring heart.”
a Day without laughter is a day wasted. Diaan goes out of his way to make people smile, make them laugh and to make sure he is there for those who might need a helping hand or a listening ear. He is a peoples persons and has always been known as the guy with a smile that can brighten up any room he enters.
This shows you, that any act of kindness can go a long way and you never know who might need it the most or where you can make a difference in someone else’s life. Way to Go Diaan, I truly wish you all the best for the upcoming year and looking forward to chatting with you again!
Thank you for reading… #TheSomethingGuy #SouthAfrica #Blog
