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, A&R, visual curator and co-host of Afrobeats podcast With An S , Sharon Ntan, talks to us about how she uses Obasanjo’s Internet.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
It depends on how I wake up. Sometimes I wake up angry, sometimes confused. I join my church zoom prayer meeting around 6 a.m if I’m up by then. If not, I wake up around 7am. I set a reminder on my keep notes for daily confession, so I do that. If I’m not doing that when I pick my phone, I would probably just check whatever message I have on TikTok or Instagram or WhatsApp. And sometimes I wake up into gist. I just start gisting with my sister if I had one sweet dream. So, yeah, it depends.
How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?
For the two both o, the two both of them.
What moment or episode in your life would you say captured the essence of the internet?
I have two. Part one was before I entered secondary school properly. I discovered the internet through all those girls to games and polly pocket sites. For me, that was the entire essence of the internet. Very sweet. It was just keeping my brain alive.
But part two would be when I entered the University and I started researching for my final year project. In fact, just generally being in University, I truly understood that there’s a whole world out there called the Internet. That you could live there and think you’re living in another world. The only thing you would have to do in the real world is to eat food so you don’t die. That’s all.
Your favourite social media platform and why?
My favourite social media platform is Pinterest. The unfortunate thing is that people don’t use Pinterest like a social media platform, but it is. I have actually met a couple of chill people there. I chat there, I get to look up ideas. It also generally aligns with my interests and my passion. For the work I do, I kind of have to rely on Pinterest because every now and then we’re looking for things to create because it’s a very visual industry. Pinterest is just fun. It keeps me sane. It makes me feel like I’m closer to my goals and my dreams every day. I just love the app and I want to work there. I think it’s my dream company. So if you see a plug, plug me.
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 remember! Just like yesterday! So this was on TikTok. I joined the TikTok community after the pandemic. You know, a lot of my peers joined during the pandemic. But last year, I started to really test it because as much as people say things go viral when you don’t really expect it, I think the algorithm is programmed for you to go viral when you do certain things. Even if you didn’t ask me, I’ll tell you – I went viral like 4 times last year. My first viral video on TikTok was when there was a lot of traffic and it was like the economy was crashing down on all of us. I posted a random video using one Paw Paw sound o. I didn’t even expect the thing to go viral. Before I knew it, it was just getting numbers. Even some Instagram accounts carried it; Yabaleft, Career body something something, one HerNetwork something something – only Culture Custodian did not carry it o, but no problem. But yes, everybody carried the video and that was it.
https://www.tiktok.com/@sharonmauve/video/7239702909317827845?_r=1&_t=8j5Kl4waISr
In the same period as that one, I also had two other videos. When my sister came to Nigeria, I posted a video of myself at the airport as if I was japaing and one where I met my nieces for the first time. The latest one I posted was a “run away from Nigerian doctors if they approach you” video. So those are the viral videos.
Going viral for these did not make me feel anyhow because I’ve gone viral before on Facebook. I think the only thing I observed was that you’re only hot in that period and you need to take advantage of that time. People will go and when they go, they’ve gone and everything will return back to how it was. But I guess if you can keep the momentum one way or another, you might grow a little bit. Even if you’re not going viral every single day, you’ll see that your views will not be as low as they were prior to when you went viral. Some people will stay, your followers will increase but the majority are just passing by.
What’s the most outrage you have ever generated over something you posted? How did you react to it?
I don’t remember the year, but they were doing Miss MBGN. I posted something about Miss Bayelsa, I can’t really remember what it was but it was something about Miss Bayelsa not deserving it and her being put there for politics sake, something like that. Ah. I didn’t know that I was going to cause a problem. Omo. It even entered Linda Ikeji blog, I don’t know who sent her to retweet it and put me in the lion’s den. People started coming for me and all that. It was very hot because I was live tweeting as the show was happening. Everybody was on the internet at the same time.
There was also Adesua Etomi’s first Vogue cover. People were praising it and I posted something about how there’s nothing to praise. Before I knew it, people came to attack me too and decided to insult me, my past and my present. I don’t even know what I did to them, they were just angry. All of them were shouting “Africa to the world” I was like “what’s Africa here when they went to make her white. Instead of them to keep her natural colour. And they’re going to write about how she’s drinking tea and eating biscuits when that’s not her reality. She’s probably using her hand to eat eba with ogbono soup.” There’s also one that involved one Big Brother star. I will not mention his name but he fought with one girl named Erica. That guy too. Hm. I no know who send me o. His fans come for me sef. But yeah. There are a couple more but those are the ones I remember.
I don’t reply to any of them. For some strange reason, people in my own circle are the ones that do the fighting. So you will see them in the comments fighting, but me? I do not respond. I don’t engage with a single tweet. They will still fight you for not engaging with them. They’ll tell you “you think you are better than us” but I think it’s better to not even say anything because Twitter is a different breed of social media users.
What rules do you live by on the internet?
I would say you don’t have to respond to everything or everyone. Social media is for you. You know why you created the account, so use it according to how you have decided to use it. Don’t use it for anybody’s sake.
Another rule I live by is internet security. Be very cautious of how you use the internet. So e.g, you don’t always have to post things in real time except maybe you’re in a populated space like an event. But if you’re at a friend’s house or whatever, you don’t have to post in real time, you can chill to maybe when you are leaving, especially if you’re going to use all these location tags.
What is your guiltiest online pleasure?
I follow a number of cat pages and I have a saved collection dedicated to cats on IG.
Would you say you have an online persona?
Yeah, but it depends on the app. My persona on Twitter is probably critic-like and I think that’s because of the climate on Twitter too. It’s mostly tied to fashion or my personal life or whatever. My persona on TikTok, I don’t even know what that one is. I think that girl just feels like using TikTok. My persona on IG is really to share whatever the heck I feel like sharing. I’m free on Instagram and TikTok compared to Twitter. I don’t know how those translate to other people. I don’t know if other people are in a better position to answer this. I don’t see myself online and I don’t know how I am perceived.
What’s your favourite emoji and why?
I don’t have one favourite emoji so I don’t know. However, I think I’m a sticker girl over an emoji girl. But out of all the emojis I use, I really like the kneeling down emoji because in this life it’s as if you have to beg people for everything, but the emojis just soften how things come out. The other one I like is the one where the face is covering its month and laughing. I just really like using it. They just fit the text.
Are you particular about your feed?
No, not really.
YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?
TikTok o. I prefer TikTok because it is very fast. People on TikTok get straight to the point. They tell you as it is but people on YouTube like to take too much time and edit things in a way that is just long. I want to hear something, you will now talk for a very long time. That’s why I like those people in the comments saying “what you’re looking for is in 0:42 seconds” and I just skip there. But TikTok? Before you know, chap chap chap, you’ve gotten your answer. These days if you want to search for reviews on anything, see, there’s almost nothing you can’t find on TikTok. I go to TikTok because I know there is one girl saying “come with me to …”
Which Nigerian creator do you think the world needs to see and hear more of?
It’s me o! It’s me! I am the Nigerian creator, please it’s me.
Who is the coolest person you follow and the coolest person who follows you?
Oh God, I keep saying I cant’t classify them as one. On Instagram, the coolest person I follow is a cat that makes food. But let me see, for human beings – abeg I don’t have. It’s the cat. The only other cool person I follow is Good Advice Cupcake. Then on TikTok the coolest person I follow is a fashion creator.
The coolest person who follows me is on LinkedIn. Natalie Browne Holmes.
What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?
The truth is the only Nigerian podcast I listen to and I’m not even trying to be funny is With An S. Before With An S I was not listening to Nigerian podcasts, I only listened to foreign podcasts.
Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online?
At all. I have never.
5 people you’d love to see answer these questions
Faithfulness Obasi Kalu, Tamilore Oladipo, Somto Assam, Tobi Owoyomi, Aanuoluwa Ajide-Daniels.
Read previous Obasanjo’s Internet entries here.