Dami Ajayi is one of the most prolific Nigerian writers. From his incisive writing on Nigerian music and its history to his poetry, he carries a wealth of knowledge which has made him a foremost thinker on the internet. This is in combination with his role working as a medical professional. Naturally, this makes him a great subject for this column- demystifying how some of our favourite internet figures use the internet.
Who are you? What do you do?
My name is Dami Ajayi. I am a Nigerian psychiatrist, writer and author residing in the United Kingdom. I have published three volumes of poetry and numerous essays on culture, particularly music.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Grab my phone en route to the bathroom. Open WhatsApp and catch up on messages. My extended family is scattered all over the world, so I check in to see what I missed.
What’s the last thing you do on your phone before bed?
These days, I fall asleep reading on Instapaper or the LRB or Substack. I love long reads. If this does not work, I turn on a podcast, usually The Guardian Longreads or Selected Shorts.
What’s the app you open the most without thinking?
X (formerly Twitter).
Would you say you have an online persona? What’s it, and how did you arrive at it?
Yes, an intense, slightly off-kilter music nerd. I will say the persona is a ‘follow come’ o; I am not much different in person.
How do you use the internet: for work or pleasure?
Both work and pleasure. Both lines of work, being a doctor and a writer, require research and writing, so there you go. For pleasure, social media, sometimes you enter the rabbit hole of content and emerge hours later, wondering where all the time went.
What rules do you live by on the internet?
I try not to overshare. The internet, like the physical world, is a treacherous place. And it never forgets.
What moment or episode in your life would you say captured the essence of the internet?
The ENDSARS protest. The internet, particularly social media, helped amplify what happened that tragic evening in Lagos. I was in a flat in North West London, losing my mind about the mindless violence in Lagos. To have witnessed that cleared any doubt I had about the Nigerian state and its malevolence.
Do you remember the first time something you posted went viral? What was it, and how did it make you feel?
Viral sha? My use of the internet is very niche. But there was my short posthumous profile of the deceased Nigerian musician, Dipo Shodipo, which goes viral at least twice a year on Facebook. Oftentimes, shared by a new content creator claiming those words as theirs, thankfully, the writing is very much in my style.
What’s the most outrage you have ever generated over something you posted? How did you react to it?
It was this Saturday that a young poet was accused of plagiarising my poem. I wanted to rest that weekend, but ended up bombarded with messages, and my plagiarized poem enjoyed an unfair scrutiny. I hated every minute of it, mostly because I felt the need to also shield the young poet who showed genuine remorse and should not be offered on a platter to the braying Twitter trolls.
What’s your favourite social media platform? Why?
Substack! It is like heyday Twitter when there was a true sense of community. Although Substack loves to say it doesn’t do social media.
YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?
YouTube. TikTok’s algorithm is somewhat gimmicky. YouTube feels more like a visual library with labyrinths for days to get lost in!
What was the last meme you saved?
I made a mental note to save the many expressions of UK MAFS participant, Sarah. Reality TV is one of my guilty pleasures, courtesy of my wife.
What is your guiltiest online pleasure?
Doomscrolling on X.
What was the last rabbit hole you fell into?
Instagram supermodels. One minute, everything was fine; the next minute, I was inundated with party girls with BBLs and hidden rate cards.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned online recently?
I learn every day on Discogs the trivia on old music.
What’s a corner of the internet you’re obsessed with right now?
Music Twitter, mostly. I am writing a memoir that leans heavily on Nigerian music, finding old songs that spark memory and nostalgia, hopefully, with good prose.
Which Nigerian creator do you think the world needs to see and hear more of?
Ayomide Tayo, is the no 1 pop music critic in Nigeria, facts only!
Who is the coolest person you follow, and the coolest person who follows you?
The rapper, A-Q. I think he is a really cool dude. He follows me, too.
What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?
Tough question, but Loose Talk carries the day because it is a one-stop shop where Nigerian pop culture, music, politics, and everything comes together.
Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online?
I met my wife on a dating app. Does that count?
Five people you’d love to see answer these questions
Ayomide Tayo
Molara Wood
Kola Tubosun
Yemisi Aribisala
Jerry Chiemeke
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