Obasanjo’s Internet – Omolola Ige

Did you know that there are approximately 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide? Can you imagine all the different ways in which we all use the internet? Obasanjo’s Internet is our interview series where we speak to some of our internet favourites on how they relate to the internet and what it means to them and their work. This week, Omolola Ige,  Regional Marketing Manager at Sony Music Entertainment West Africa, talks to us about how she uses Obasanjo’s Internet.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

I wake up, look at my phone and my emails. It’s always Outlooks because I work with a lot of international teams, so there’re always different time zones in different regions. So your 6 a.m. is probably somebody’s 11 p.m. and then you wake up to a bunch of emails. So yes, the first thing I do is to check my emails to see if there’s any fire I need to put out.

How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?

For both, really.

What moment or episode in your life would you say captured the essence of the internet?

I would say the End SARS movement. I feel like it was such a defining moment for Nigeria, how young people mobilized Twitter as a tool. It was basically a lifeline for people to communicate. It struck me how people from different backgrounds and orientations organized themselves to protest and spread real-time information.

I wasn’t present at any of the protests, but I felt like I was there, and the amount of international awareness it brought just showed the power of digital activism that went on. For me it kind of just reinforced how critical building digital communities can be in shaping conversations and driving action. 

Your favourite social media platform and why?

So sometimes it’s TikTok, other times it’s Instagram. I feel like TikTok is real time. I would rather TikTok something than Google it. I just got back from the hospital because I’m supposed to do a procedure tomorrow and the first thing I did was go on TikTok to research it and how to prepare for it. There will be people telling you about their own procedures, what you need to do, 5 things you need to do after. So, I really really like TikTok. It helps with everything.

Instagram, because I mean, I work in marketing, so I have to make sure that I am looking at the trends. And then some of my artists mostly post on Instagram. Instagram just has a way of bringing you closer to people than all the other different platforms.

Do you remember the first time something you posted went viral? What was it? How did it make you feel?

I think it was a picture of myself on Twitter two years ago. It made me feel like I was very famous. Someone was like “post your Owambe face card,” and I posted a picture of myself from the previous year where I was wearing makeup and gele. I remember having up to 9k likes and I think 590 retweets, so I was like, oh shit.

What’s the most outrage you have ever generated over something you posted? How did you react to it?

I mean, I’m very careful with my public image. So I mostly do not be posting stuff. I try to keep a very private circle. I used to tweet, but I don’t tweet anymore because I’m afraid that I might say something out of pocket especially cause I work for an organization where I have to make sure that I am a good representative of the company. I try to stay out of a lot of things. 

What rules do you live by on the internet?

First thing is not everything needs a response. If somebody says anything to you, just block them and move on. It’s better to ignore. Only say what you need to say.

For me, I try to do a mix of personal and professional life. We work in a creative industry, and our Instagram serves as a place where we connect with other people. So you don’t want it to be like you’re always posting about your travel vlogs and you’re not actually talking about the essence of what you do. So I kind of just mix and match to a certain degree. 

I also protect my personal boundaries because people are always watching in the industry, and people are in rooms that you’re not in. So you have to be careful about the type of things you say, especially for someone like me. There are always other people who are cheering you on, so it’s that type of thing where you don’t want to let them down.  You have to be very careful about what you post and what you say.

What is your guiltiest online pleasure?

I think the first thing would be stalking, I’m sorry. I be stalking people a lot sometimes. I just want to know what’s going on. I literally can find anything under the sun, as long as you’re online. Like I can find your grandmother, your grandfather. I just need to know what I’m looking for, and I figure it out. I enjoy knowing information, not necessarily for me to talk about it – I don’t be talking about stuff, but then it’s just important that I know what’s going on a lot of the time, cause, like I said, I work in marketing. So, a lot of times you just need to make sure that your ears are to the ground, you’re seeing trends before people quickly jump on them. 

Would you say you have an online persona?

I try to be myself. I think what I have online is a curated version of me. Remember I spoke about your work-life balance, and how you have to show your work? I can be very modest when it comes to my work and the type of things I do at work, but it’s important to create a digital footprint for yourself. So I put things that are essential to my digital footprint. Not necessarily because I want to show off or whatever. I just try to engage as much as I can with music, marketing, but I share less of my personal things online than I used to. 

What’s your favourite emoji and why?

My favourite emoji is the one with the cute eyes, where it’s like you’re just being so cute. It’s like a puppy eye type thing where it’s like, “please do this for me.” So when I’m mad, I use it because it kind of suppresses everything. If you send it to somebody who is mad at you, they see the emoji and they’re like, “oh shit, OK, cool.” Or if you’re hurt and you feel like you’re going through an emotional phase, it’s an emoji that you can use. If you’re happy and you want to tell somebody good news, it’s an emoji that you can use. I just feel like it’s the perfect emoji.

Are you particular about your feed?

Well, not really. I’ll just be posting anything I feel is nice. I don’t even post my nice pictures because we kind of overthink how we look. So, yeah, I don’t curate my feed.

YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?

TikTok. TikTok is great for quick trends. YouTube is where you go for deeper content. So, like most of my podcasts, I usually watch them on YouTube. 

I’m in a dilemma because I actually do use both. I can stay on TikTok for hours, really. They need to ban TikTok because it’s been gobbling up all my time. I respect Americans. They need to take it away.

Which Nigerian creator do you think the world needs to see and hear more of?

Adeife Adeoye. She’s a tech, remote working babe. She has a community called Remote WorkHer, where she encourages young girls to work from home, make millions, start up their own businesses, and learn about tech, sales, and marketing. I think she’s such a good ambassador for the Gen Z community.

She’s very outspoken. I mean, if I were to be outspoken, I’d want to be her because I love people who know how to bring others together. 

Amazingly, she has a LinkedIn account for the Remote WorkHer community, and she has over 50,000 followers. That’s crazy. Even my company page doesn’t have 50,000 followers, and I work for a global organization.

Who is the coolest person you follow, and the coolest person who follows you?

Stephanie Adamu. She used to work at Empire, and I think she now owns her own business. She’s also the Founder of Girls in Afrobeats. I think she’s really cool. Of course, she’s given so many years to the industry, but seeing how she works, the details, and brand partnerships. It’s everything I personally encompass as a human being, but seeing somebody play it out at the level that she plays it is amazing. She also has a really cool sense of fashion, and she’s always well put together, and I like that.

So who would be the coolest person who follows you?

Everybody. I feel like all the cool people follow me. I mean, I love Maleek Berry. He’s so cool, and he follows me. I love Young Jonn, he’s so cool and he follows me. I love Gyakie , she’s so cool and she follows me. Like, amazing people follow me. So I cannot really say. Even Stephanie follows me, mind you. So I guess I’m also really cool then.

What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?

It definitely has to be I Said What I Said. I mean, the conversations are very natural and insightful, so yes, for sure. 

Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online? Did you regret it?

Met? Yes. But I don’t be regretting anything. I feel like I’m more of a man than men, so you cannot outplay the player. They probably regret it. I’m a wicked one.

5 people you’d love to see answer these questions

Stephanie Adamu, Simi Badiru, Lanre Masha, Morravey and Basito.