Social Media Changed My Life or Why My Bath Products Come from Africa
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As a child, I remembered when anything not in the Microsoft Office suite was "playing on the computer." At least that's how my mother put it. So it's strange to think about how much social media has changed our lives. Mine in particular. There are so many examples I could share, but the first anniversary of one is coming up.
Social media changed how I bathe.
If you're like me there are certain news stories that you purposely avoid when they trend online. For me, the story of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis discussing how infrequently they bathe their children and themselves was an automatic "pass." Every year this cleanliness debate comes up: some people admit to not showering daily or brushing their teeth or washing their clothes...then the rest of the Western Internet immolates them with critique. I've even participated in the outrage, but I realized a while ago it's not productive. Are you going to convince this famous or popular person to wash themselves? Nope. So keep it moving.
I engaged, however, because one of my favorite personalities on the Internet spoke up. Author, speaker, and tastemaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones took to Instagram and in 5 minutes combined outrage with a cultural moment:
Immediately, I wanted to know more about the sapo sponge she described. I was on the daily-shower train already but really liked the idea of further exfoliating my skin and getting cleaner. After watching the video a few times and sharing it avidly, I tried to order a sapo and the shea butter she recommended in the video. Both were sold out. Amazon knock offs did not do the trick. After a couple weeks of patience and practicing the pronunciation like Luvvie did it, I finally got an on-brand Sapo.
In nearly a year, I have not looked back.
I gave my family Sapos for Christmas. I have a travel Sapo, one for my home, and one just for when I visit my father 3.5 hours away. I ask people about their Sapo and recommend it. In 2021, we discussed two things in my house: politics and bathing.
Did Luvvie solve the bathing debate? Not even close. I'm still stunned that one of my favorite YouTube doctor influencers released a video afterwards saying it's not medically required to bathe. I yelled at my phone as I watched it, "it may not be medically required but it is socially!" It's okay to disagree with me. I keep sharing Luvvie's video and referring to it because of two important points she made:
2) It's pretty sad that there is no consensus or minimum as we keep having this discussion
She shared something that is standard from her West African culture because in that region of the world, there is consensus. My parents brought their culture from the Caribbean to the UK then here with a similar consensus. When we examine the digital community that social media creates, we must continually ask ourselves, "do we embrace debate to settle scores or to be heard?"
Anyway, everyone should get a Sapo. It will change your life like it change mine.
Well I only needed to watch a minute of that video and I want that sponge! Like yesss please I want all the scrubbing. I lovee taking a shower. It's my time to decompress and just relax. Also don't be shy share the link on where I can get one!
I love love love this blog post. Social media has changed my life too, in some small ways, but also in some profound ways, like helping me to reshape how I think about my body and how I exist in the world. Thanks for sharing this with us! I follow Luvvie on Instagram and am definitely gonna get that sponge.
Myurewitch redirected me here. What an excellent post, so many hilarious points. I have a non-brand sapo sponge!! But now, I want the real thing. And, yes please to shea butter.
Adding the term "produsers" feels like Orwellian doublespeak emerging into my vocabulary. The classic book 1984 (which has been used with varying amounts of accuracy to describe the Internet experience) described how the future government would control language by shortening words into hybrid terms and shifting how people described the world. Thankfully, reading the Bruns article explains the term produser is not the term shifting the world but a description of how the world has changed around language. If you consider that many of us raised with television, movies, or books, the act of consumption is one-way. Few of us immediately read or watch and then create our own art in direct response or inspired by what they experienced, especially in the context of entertainment. A produser expresses how Web 2.0 democratizes expression: on the same media, people can produce and use content at the same level. Bruns cites YouTube as one of the examples of an internet space whe...
I'm old enough to remember the days when wanting to socialize with people you had to...go somewhere. In person. Picture it, Sarasota, 1997. In High School I had many acquaintences but only a few true friends I spent time with outside of class. Worse, even those friends were on-campus friends: if we didn't see each other at a club meeting or school event, most likely I wasn't there. My parents were both hard-working and I went to a magnet school 15 miles from home. Getting me to extra places other than school was a stretch for them. So when a friend of mine invited me to the school gym after school, I mostly said yes because I could connect with them for longer periods of time. And I was fat and didn't want to be anymore. I have been obese since the age of six...but that's for another post. We didn't know a whole lot about weight training, cardio, or anything to really make a change to our bodies back then. But we bonded. One of the students I work...
When we consider Web 2.0, the biggest draw is the global reach. The premise of the World Wide Web is to share information (originally a library system) quickly across the miles. All you need is a connection. Wireless Internet and smartphones means that getting connected should be easier. So imagine my surprise when reviewing the Pew Research study from this week's reading that this overview is based on 37 countries. Notably, there are only six sub-Saharan African countries and zero data from Central America and the Caribbean. While DataReportal reports a significant gap in penetration in these areas, these three gaps represent roughly 10% of Internet users. This makes me challenge even the conclusions about sub-Saharan Africa. Worse by erasing such a significant part of the developing world, we miss the high penetration of social media use in the Global South. Global Means Global. If we are truly learning to engage learners a...
My sister's wife is Nigerian. I immediately sent a text asking about this sponge. I want one!
ReplyDeleteWell I only needed to watch a minute of that video and I want that sponge! Like yesss please I want all the scrubbing. I lovee taking a shower. It's my time to decompress and just relax. Also don't be shy share the link on where I can get one!
ReplyDeletejk!!! Just saw the link. Checking it out now!
DeleteI love love love this blog post. Social media has changed my life too, in some small ways, but also in some profound ways, like helping me to reshape how I think about my body and how I exist in the world. Thanks for sharing this with us! I follow Luvvie on Instagram and am definitely gonna get that sponge.
ReplyDeleteMyurewitch redirected me here. What an excellent post, so many hilarious points. I have a non-brand sapo sponge!! But now, I want the real thing. And, yes please to shea butter.
ReplyDelete