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Creative Spotlight: Dj blacko
The King of the Decks! 🔥

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Full story on our page

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I met up with a friend recently after not seeing her for a while.
You know those moments where you’re excited because there’s so much to catch up on? School,
life, what’s been happening lately. The usual.
But while we were talking, I kept noticing

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WHEN DID AFFORDABILITY BECOME EMBARRASSING?

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upgraded. Whether I’d switched from an Android to an iPhone.
And if I had, what model it was.
I don’t know why, but that moment stayed with me.

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I met up with a friend recently after not seeing her for a while.
You know those moments where you’re excited because there’s so much to catch up on? School,
life, what’s been happening lately. The usual.
But while we were talking, I kept noticing her glancing at my hand.
At first, I ignored it.
Then I looked down and realised she was looking at my phone.
And suddenly, it dawned on me.
She wasn’t trying to see my wallpaper or who was calling me. She was trying to figure out what
phone I was using. Whether I’d upgraded. Whether I’d switched from an Android to an iPhone.
And if I had, what model it was.
I don’t know why, but that moment stayed with me.
Not because she looked at my phone.
But because it made me ask myself a question.
When did that become one of the first things we notice about people?
When did our curiosity about people’s lives get replaced by curiosity about their possessions?
We’ve not seen each other in a long time, and somehow, “What phone are you using?” became
more urgent than “How have you been?”
No “How is school?”
No “How is life treating you?”
No “What’s new with you?”
Just a silent assessment.
And maybe that’s what bothers me the most about the rise of classism.
It’s no longer loud.
It’s subtle
It’s hidden in the small things.
The quick glance at someone’s phone.
The extra attention paid to the logo on someone’s bag.
The mental notes we make when we see someone’s shoes, watch, car or restaurant choice.
Sometimes, it’s so subtle that we don’t even realise we’re doing it anymore.
And that’s what makes it scary.
Because classism isn’t always someone openly saying they’re better than someone else.
Sometimes, it’s simply deciding somebody’s worth before they’ve even spoken.
I see it online all the time too.
A while ago, someone made a list of affordable places to buy shawarma in Lagos. The whole
point of the list was accessibility. It was supposed to help people find options within their budget.
Then someone commented that it was “too cheap.”
Too cheap.
That statement has stayed with me ever since.
Because affordable to one person is expensive to another.
Even at ₦3,000, there are people who genuinely cannot afford shawarma.
So what exactly are we trying to prove?
That we’re above affordability?
That we’re too sophisticated for budget friendly options?
I don’t know.
But I do know that somewhere along the line, we started confusing financial status with
personality.
We’ve become obsessed with signalling.
Signalling wealth
Signalling status.
Signalling exclusivity.
Signalling that we’re not “like everybody else.”
And the unfortunate thing is that social media rewards this behaviour.
Algorithms love aspirational lifestyles. People are praised for appearing expensive. Being “too
accessible” is suddenly a bad thing. Looking ordinary has somehow become an insult.
It’s exhausting.
Because human beings were never supposed to be reduced to brands and possessions.
I don’t want to walk into a room and wonder if someone is judging my phone before they get to
know me.
I don’t want to live in a society where people silently rank each other based on what they own.
I don’t want affordability to become something people are ashamed of.
And I certainly don’t want us to lose our ability to connect with one another because we’re too
busy carrying out silent audits.
Maybe that’s my biggest concern.
Classism is slowly changing the way we interact with people.
We’re becoming observers instead of connectors.
We’re studying people instead of knowing them.
We’re measuring people instead of understanding them.
And I genuinely wonder where this ends.
Because if the first thing we see when we meet another human being is their phone, their clothes
or the restaurant they eat at, then we’ve already missed the best part about them.
The person themselves.
And that’s a shame.
Because people are so much more interesting than the things they own

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WHEN DID AFFORDABILITY BECOME EMBARRASSING?

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WHEN DID AFFORDABILITY BECOME EMBARRASSING?

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First episode of RACHEAL'S FOOTNOTES 👌

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Going viral has fooled a lot of people into thinking they have a career.

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A DEEP DIVE INTO THE CREATIVE JOURNEY OF @Obacruze ✨️🔥

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A DEEP DIVE INTO THE CREATIVE JOURNEY OF @Obacruze ✨️🔥

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One hit song doesn't make you an artist.
One successful project doesn't make you a brand.
The real work starts after the attention arrives.

Can you make people come back?

Do you think virality is overrated?
The comments are open.

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Going viral has fooled a lot of people into thinking they have a career.

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Virality is an event. A career is a system.

A viral post can give you attention. But career is built on trust, consistency, skill and a community that comes back.
The internet celebrates moments whereas the industry rewards longevity.

One hit post doesn't make you a creator.

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Kevwe Peters — Infinity Culture. Soft power. Strong presence.
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Follow yonetwork for more Creative Spotlights. @peterskevwe
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