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, Nigeria’s self-proclaimed “biggest food critic”, Opeyemi Famakin, talks to us about how he interacts with Obasanjo’s Internet.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
I press my phone. I stay in my bed till 11 am before getting up. I don’t like leaving my bed before 11 am so I just scroll through the internet. I do that because I had a 9 to 5 a couple of years ago and after quitting, I told myself that I would never work for anyone else. People always say if you don’t wake up early you won’t be successful, so I intentionally wake up late just to disprove that. I also use my phone to consume food content, edit videos, and do voiceovers so I’m kind of still working.
How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?
Surprisingly, pleasure is work for me. There are blurred lines. What is my work? Chopping life is my work.
What moment or episode in your life would you say captured the essence of the internet?
I don’t think I’ve had any big moments. I’ve had pockets of moments. I don’t like giving too much power to the internet. Even though I make a living off the internet, I’m still in denial and refuse to accept that the internet is that powerful. So, I’ve not had that moment yet.
Your favourite social media platform and why?
Omo, it’s Instagram. It used to be Facebook. There was a time I had a proper Facebook addiction. I don’t know what happened, but now it’s Instagram. I hate Twitter. TikTok is my side chick.
What was the last meme you saved?
I don’t save memes on my phone. I’m very addicted to food so I save a lot of food content. For memes, I just see them, like them, laugh and move on.
Do you remember the first time something you posted went viral? What was it? How did it make you feel?
I did a video of one Ibadan cake at a restaurant that was really hard like cement. I did a video stabbing the cake because it was really really hard and shouting “Ibadan Ibadan Ibadan.” So I just posted it, it went viral, and people hated me for it. And that restaurant now serves soft cakes because of me.
What rules do you live by on the internet?
It’s not 100% real. It’s smoke and mirrors. Don’t let it control you, control it. I see it as a tool basically. Let it be one of the tools in your toolbox.
What is your guiltiest online pleasure?
Watching workout videos. Once in a while, for hours, I’ll just be scrolling through videos of men with nice bodies. If you saw me doing that you’d probably think I am gay, but I’m not. I’ll just be staring at them while eating chips. I do go to the gym once in a while, but I eat more than I go to the gym.
Would you say you have an online persona?
No. For those who follow me and see the way I talk, I’ll say that’s actually who I am. I don’t think I lie. It’s just that I’m a bit more extroverted online than I am in person. I am an extrovert, but I tend to amplify it more online. The characters I play online, Sugar Daddy and Youth Pastor, are not real: it’s obviously just cruise.
What’s your favourite emoji and why?
😏. I use it a lot, even in business conversations. I don’t know why, but I just use it a lot.
Are you particular about your feed?
I’m not. I couldn’t care less. I care more about the quality of the content and the storytelling. If you literally paid me a million naira to arrange my feed for a week, I wouldn’t do it. Who has time for that? I have tried it in the past, but I was like, “fuck this.” It’s not meant for me.
YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?
As a consumer, I’ll say YouTube. One hundred per cent YouTube; more than Instagram. It’s a university on its own. As a creator, I’d choose TikTok. I used to create on YouTube in the past: like 4 or 5 years ago. YouTube is not bad, but to blow on there you need to focus on technicalities. There are too many rules.
Which Nigerian creator do you think the world needs to see and hear more of?
LUMEE. I feel he deserves more recognition and he’s extremely hardworking. Storytelling is what he does. I think he’s one of the kings of storytelling in Nigeria as a content creator.
Who is the coolest person you follow and the coolest person who follows you?
Kagan Tech is the coolest person I follow. Toolz, Naeto C, Denrele, and Adaeze Yobo are some of the coolest people that follow me.
What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?
I listen to almost every consistent Nigerian podcast. I have a theory that nobody in Nigeria consumes more podcasts than me. I say that because even in 2014 when I was broke, I would buy data to listen to a 2 hour podcast.
I Said What I Said and Submarine And A Roach are the two Nigerian podcasts that if I had to drop every other podcast for, I would.
Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online?
In the past, yes. Now, I’d never do it.
5 people you’d love to see answer these questions
Kagan Tech, Lumee, Fisayo Fosudo, Miss Techy, and TMT from Submaroach.