Obasanjo’s Internet – Pinkolate

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, TikTok content creator, Pinkolate, talks to us about how she uses Obasanjo’s Internet. 

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

You know what? It’s such a bad habit, but I grab my phone because I have to make sure I’ve woken up on time and I’m not running late for anything. I check my schedule for the day. I was gonna lie and be like, “yeah, I do yoga.” I don’t. I check Twitter. I’ll reply to some comments, check my emails, that kind of stuff. Just general social media admin.

How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?

It’s a bit of both. So the work aspect for me is obviously social media, creating content, replying to a lot of emails, comments, just engaging with my audience generally. But I think fun is just like – you know how social media is? There’s always one topic or another. A few days ago, it was announced that the UK is going into recession so people were already saying, “oh my gosh, it’s not gonna touch me and my family in Jesus name.” Then there was the whole debate about individualism and all of that. So I think in general, I kind of use it for both. It’s like a 50/50 but my work on the internet is pleasurable anyway.

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

In general, this whole social media thing that I’m doing has just shown me how powerful the internet is. So with a lot of my content, I switch between Yoruba and English and in my head that was just for me and my friends. When I first started making videos, it was just for me and my friends because my friends know how I talk. Then slowly it grew and grew and grew and you realize that you’re actually more palatable to a lot of audience that you didn’t think you’d be. So when I get a white girl from Yorkshire commenting on my video, I’m like, HUH because in real life, what are the chances of me ever meeting this person? It’s just so weird how far your reach can go because in our heads, we kind of limited ourselves like “ok, I’m limited to my environment or my friendship circle or my friends.” And then you put yourself out there and you realize that there are so many more people out there who are like you and who are attracted to your personality. 

Your favourite social media platform and why?

Right now I’m biased so I’m gonna have to say TikTok. I feel like Instagram is a bit too refined sometimes and Twitter can just be a bit overwhelmingly negative. But TikTok, I can genuinely go on there in a bonnet and no one cares. You do that on Twitter? It’s a whole debacle. So yeah, I think TikTok. You can just be free and it’s just funnier, everyone’s just having fun there.

What was the last meme you saved?

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

I would say the first video I did that went viral was probably this video I made about going to the gym. So basically, I’m not really a gym babe like that. But if I do it, yeah, I’ll be on it for like two months and then I’ll just stop. So I decided, “let me go back to the gym, I haven’t been in two months. Let me go get my heart pumping.” I got there, now they’re telling me I should jump, I should twist, I should run. I basically came back and I said, “listen TikTok, I can’t do this. I don’t know how you lot do this.”

To me it was just like I was just expressing myself, you know, I didn’t really think much of it and then the video just went viral. I think people aren’t really used to seeing somebody being so British but so Nigerian at the same time, it’s usually maybe 70/30, it’s never 50/50. So when people saw that, they were just so captivated by it and then the video just blew up after that.

@pinkolate

I think I will leave gym for you ppl. Happy star jumping.

♬ original sound – Pink O

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

Do I really get outrageous? The most controversial – I had a little rift with another content creator. I think when I was a bit of a smaller content creator, honestly yeah, call me paranoid if you like but I swear to you people were copying my content word for word. The first few times it happened, I didn’t want to say anything. I told my dad and he was like, “see, it’s because you are not talking that’s why they keep on doing it.” I said, you know what? All right, I’ll stand up for myself. So I stood up for myself and I think people aren’t gonna give you the benefit of the doubt when you don’t necessarily have the numbers. They’re gonna side with the person who has more followers. So that happened. 

I think for me, the way I approach these things now is like, I don’t care what the outcome is gonna be. I just have to know that I’ve done what I need to do for myself. So now, I think in general I have quite a liberal mindset so I don’t usually sway from what would be socially acceptable, but in the cases that I do, I feel like once I justify my opinion, people are usually understanding like “Ok, that makes sense.” That’s probably like the closest thing to controversy that I’ve had.

What rules do you live by on the internet?

So my first rule is that I never read all the comments and if the comments are getting overwhelming, I just switch them off, whether they’re good or bad. So the last video I posted – basically in the UK, once you turn 25 you need to get a cervical screening test just to make sure you don’t have cervical cancer. Every 25 year old woman has to do it. So I got the letter and  I’m scared as hell because I’ve heard about this procedure and it doesn’t really sound that pleasant. I made a video about that and to be honest, most of the comments were really supportive like, “oh, don’t worry, babe, it’ll be fine.” But then you get some people coming like “ah mine was so terrible. In fact, I bled.” Do you think I need to know that? I’m already panicking. So in those kinds of cases I would just turn off the comments.

Another thing is that I don’t really argue on social media. Back in the days, like pandemic times, I was the chief of arguing but now I just let sleeping dogs lie. The main thing for me is trying to just push positivity on the internet.

What is your guiltiest online pleasure?

Oh, my days. Honestly, yeah. You know Ochocinco and Shannon Sharpe’s podcast? It is so funny. Oh my days. It’s crazy. You know what you asked me earlier about reaching audiences outside of myself that I never expected? Who would have thought that I would be here sitting down relating to a 50 something year old man from Georgia, or wherever they’re from, and a 40 something year old man from Miami. Like, we’re all black, but how much do we really have in common in terms of culture? I find them so funny. 

So it’s them and I’m not gonna lie, Lil Boosie. I’ve tried to cancel this guy but he’s so funny. 

Would you say you have an online persona?

I’m not that different online and in person. The only thing I would say, yeah – and this might even be me going off track a bit – I feel like my online persona might be a bit more refined in the way I communicate with people. So the kind of content I make is very relatable, it’s like, I’m your girl, we’re on facetime just chilling and I think people form this parasocial relationship with me in their head where they actually think we’re friends. So initially I would get spooked – like somebody would just DM me saying, “oh my gosh, let’s hang out” and I’m spooked out like, I don’t even know you, and more importantly, you don’t even know me. I could be a serial killer for all you know. In real life, that would be my response but if I say that now, it’s rude. Those kinds of interactions that I wouldn’t have on a day to day, I’ve had to refine and adapt. But in terms of how I speak, my mannerisms, everything, I’m literally the same.

What’s your favourite emoji and why?

I love using heart emojis. You know the one with two pink hearts, a big one and a small one? I love that. I also like the emoji with the tongue sticking out because that’s literally me. I’m just like, “oh whatever man, let’s vibe, let’s rock and roll.”

Are you particular about your feed?

Yes, I really am especially because I consume social media a lot now that I create content. So it’s different for each social media platform. Once TikTok finds that you like one thing, they will feed you that thing 100 times. So I might like one goal that Bukayo Saka scored and TikTok will just keep on feeding so many football highlights. I don’t watch football, so this is not necessary but I would then make a conscious effort to tap, ‘not interested’ or something like that, to make sure my feed is what I want it to be.

And to be honest with Instagram, the way I tailor my feed is more to do with how I see myself. So like representation, fashion, keeping up to date with current affairs and stuff, that’s probably the app that I look to for daily inspiration. So even if it’s “what outfit am I gonna wear? What meal am I gonna cook today?” I would probably tailor my feed to make sure that it’s specifically to that. With Twitter, once I see the first couple of Tweets that’s moving a bit negative, I’m off the app. I’m just there to retweet and like. 

YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?

Definitely TikTok, I feel like YouTube content has become quite repetitive. I also feel like the algorithm isn’t as great, to be honest. TikTok algorithm is a lot better. It’s short form content, so I’m constantly engaged which has its downsides as well. But yes, TikTok over YouTube.

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

I’ll choose myself o, everybody please follow me, please they need to hear more from me. I feel like for me, it’s just important for there to be more women out there. I know everyone says it, but there’s so many different types of women and we all need to be represented.

There’s the obvious thing of like, “yeah, we need to represent young women in diaspora, connected to their roots,” et cetera. But it’s more importantly about being confident and carefree and just not giving a hell what anyone says. Like I said, I’ll go on TikTok in my bonnet, I genuinely don’t care. I feel like the way we are as a society, everyone just needs to loosen up, like just vibe a little more. Let go. The world is so big and we have so much to give to the world but everyone’s scared about, “oh who’s watching me? Is this gonna work out?” You just need to be yourself, be out there and be bold in that. Be confident in who you are and confident that people will accept you and love you for that. So, yeah, I need to be out there. Everybody follow me, I need to make it this year man.

What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?

It’s gonna be cliche, I think we all know what I’m gonna say. I like quite a few. I really like Loose Talk. I love Tea with Tay. Submaroach, obviously and I Said What I Said. Those are like the top four that I listen to consistently. But Submaraoch, that pod yeah? I find all of them intriguing because even though I’m Nigerian, I don’t live in Nigeria, so viewing Naij through the lens of people who actually live there is just really really intriguing to me. I feel like Mayowa is the oldest brother, and then Koj is the middle child, just there instigating, and TMT is the youngest one that you don’t even know, like, was this one adopted? That’s the dynamic there.

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

I don’t really be meeting people online, not romantically anyway.

5 people you’d love to see answer these questions

An older Nigerian, A Nigerian with limited access to the internet, Mandykiss, Missdemz and Eayoruba.

Read previous Obasanjo’s Internet entries here.