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, Vader The Wildcard talks to us about how he uses Obasanjo’s Internet.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
The very first thing I do when I wake up is pray, I join the NLP every morning. My alarm wakes me up by 6:30 am and I just pray straight away.
How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?
Both.
What moment or episode in your life would you say captured the essence of the internet?
I would say during the #endSARS protests. It was insane how different components of an ecosystem were able to coordinate and coexist for a common cause. It was unprecedented.
Your favourite social media platform and why?
It has to be Twitter. I like the mode of interaction, it’s text-based and I am an avid reader so it is more suited to my proclivities.
Do you remember the first time something you posted went viral? What was it? How did it make you feel?
Yeah, I remember. It was on Instagram, in 2017 I think. Falz did this #hellobae challenge where he wanted people to mimic his accent and I did that and my video had the most views. That was the first time anything I put out ever went viral. It was a little overwhelming because I didn’t expect it to blow up the way it did, so it was overwhelming at first but I was able to handle it.
What’s the most outrage you have ever generated over something you posted? How did you react to it?
It was very minimal, but there were some people who didn’t want to see the humour behind it. It happened when Will Smith stepped on stage to slap Chris Rock. When I saw that, the comic in me was pissed that that happened so I just made a tweet that was supposed to be in good fun, I said “Chris Rock is a better man than I am, if someone had stepped on stage to slap me at the Oscars, that would be the end of any will, human, written or unwritten.” It was supposed to be poking fun and playing on the word “will.” Omo, na so some people enter me o, mostly ladies who were saying he was standing up for his wife. Initially, I didn’t get the outrage, but later on, I just concluded that some people need to expend their energy somewhere and my post presented an outlet for them and eventually, I laughed it all off.
What rules do you live by on the internet?
I never reveal too much, whatever I reveal on the internet is probably five per cent of what’s going on in my life.
What is your guiltiest online pleasure?
There’s this thing I do when I’m less busy, I go to people’s profiles and look at a compendium of maybe ten tweets and try to have an overview or a general assessment of how smart I think they are. Sometimes I see an intelligent tweet from someone and I wonder if the person is truly intelligent or if they’ve lifted this tweet from someone, so I try to see if their other tweets correspond. If it’s a recurring train, then I’m like oh, this person is really smart. But most of the time, they are not.
Would you say you have an online persona?
Yeah, I do. Funny guy and Arsenal fan, that’s mostly what I project online.
What’s your favourite emoji and why?
😂most of the things I comment on are very hilarious, so I use it a lot.
Are you particular about your feed?
Yes, I am, there are some things you won’t see me retweeting or talking about. There are some conversations that should only be held in person, so I don’t like to encourage any online interaction of that form because a lot of things get lost in context.
YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?
YouTube. YouTube is my safe space, that’s where I go to learn, and that’s my institution of learning. I love YouTube. In fact, if my work or career wasn’t particularly linked to me having to be on Instagram, Twitter or TikTok, I honestly won’t be functional on these platforms and I’ll only have YouTube.
Which Nigerian creator do you think the world needs to see and hear more of?
Nasboy, I think he’s very talented. There’s this raw talent he has that seems under-appreciated but he’s actually a big deal. Ajibola Grey and Agba also because these are my bros and we have conversations every day so I witness first-hand their intellect and how much wealth of wisdom and ingenuity these guys have. Kagantech also, he does short-form tech content.
Who is the coolest person you follow and the coolest person who follows you?
The coolest person I follow is Vusi Thembekwayo, he’s a South African venture capitalist, impact investor, and also an international speaker. The coolest person that follows me, I’m not entirely sure. When you have a lot of followers as I do, it can be hard to pick. But I think the coolest person that follows me is Jefferey. We went to university together.
What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?
I Said What I Said.
Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online?
Yeah.
5 people you’d love to see answer these questions
Kagantech, Ikoyi, Ikeoluwa, Dolapo Amusat.
Read previous Obasanjo’s Internet entries here.