CAIRO — Aspiring actors and other artists in Egypt have turned to social media seeking the attention of talent scouts, but the jury’s still out on whether this is an effective shortcut to being discovered.

A Facebook page called Talents of Egypt, created in 2017 by comedian and social media activist Waleed Sadaka, had just over 172,000 followers as of Oct. 2. Every day, dozens of aspiring artists post videos, audio recordings and photos to showcase their acting, singing and dancing skills, as well as impersonations or satire of famous figures, which get the highest click rates.

Sadaka told Al-Monitor he launched the page to give talented artists an opportunity to be discovered — an opportunity he never had. Early on, when the page had only 2,000 followers, he was nervous and wasn't sure where the effort would lead, but he gradually relaxed after the site attracted more than 100,000 people.

The Facebook page has seven moderators, but they don't judge or determine what's posted; any member of the group can post whatever they choose. There is no censorship on the remarks, either. Though most comments are encouraging, there is also criticism and concrete advice.