Some weeks, we quiz a “very online” person for their essential guide to what’s good on the internet. Starting now, we’ll be doing this on Saturdays instead of Fridays.
Today we welcome Ochuko Akpovbovbo, a global membership manager at Adidas who writes as seen on, a newsletter about business, culture and Gen Z trends. Ochuko sets her Instagram feed to feed on “Following” so it shows her everything chronologically and really hates reading other people’s thoughts on “the internet.” —Nick
Subscribe to Embedded if reading thoughts on the internet is more your thing.
EMBEDDED: What’s a recent meme or post that made you laugh?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I watched the SNL Domingo skit over and over.
EMBEDDED: What shows up on your TikTok For You page?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I don’t really use TikTok, so its the wild west anytime I go on there
EMBEDDED: Do you make TikToks? What format works best for you?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Nope
EMBEDDED: Do you still tweet? Why?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I got Twitter like two years ago when I was briefly enamored by the idea of Crypto but then used it maybe twice. The process of thinking of something smart/funny/interesting to say made me feel embarrassed for myself.
EMBEDDED: Have you tried any alternatives to Twitter?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Lol do Notes count?
EMBEDDED: What do you use Instagram for?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I have three Instagram profiles. One is my personal one which I barely use, another is my Bookstagram where I post book reviews and sometimes pictures of my apartment, and the third is a sort of burner account where I follow only brands and news outlets. It’s very curated, I love setting my feed on “Following” so it shows me everything chronologically.
EMBEDDED: What types of videos do you watch on YouTube?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Lots of BookTube, sometimes video recordings of my favorite podcasts, I love putting on vlogs in the background on low volume when I’m reading a book or doing some deep work. I’ll also watch the occasional old free movie on YouTube.
EMBEDDED: Where do you tend to get your news?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I subscribe to pretty much all the large publications and so many niche ones as well. Then Instagram and the dms. My friends and sometimes readers send me stuff because they want me to write about it.
EMBEDDED: How do you keep up with the online discourse? How important is it to you to do this?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Okay this is a weird one. One one hand it is important I keep up because that's what my newsletter is about—news/discourse and my perspective. On the other hand, many of these things take up very little brain space in my day to day. My real life is very unaffected by a lot of these things, you know?
EMBEDDED: What’s the last strong opinion you had about a story, topic, or controversy online?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: The tradwife discourse bored me. Seeing people make those “Ballerina Farm is a victim” mockup TikToks gave me so much second-hand embarrassment. Those things take a long time to make!
EMBEDDED: Where do you usually discover or learn about online trends?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I don’t make a habit of following those niche uber cyclical trends, so Casey Lewis’s Sunday newsletter tells me everything I need to know. My TikTok almost never surfaces young people.
EMBEDDED: How do you find recommendations for what to watch, read, and listen to?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Gosh, like everywhere. But never newsletters. Except if it’s books.
EMBEDDED: What’s something that you have observed about the online behavior of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and/or Boomers?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I don’t like talking about this. I don’t like our obsession with generational discourse. It’s all become like a parody of itself.
EMBEDDED: What are your favorite newsletters?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Books + Bits by Pandora Sykes, Plant Based by Katie Stone, Notes On 💌 by Hannah Connelly and A Reading Life by Petya Grady. Mostly bookish ones.
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Not really to be honest. I like the platform and the things I don't like about it are easy enough to ignore. The fact that creators in Africa (and Latin America) I think can’t get paid for their work really really bothers me. A lot.
EMBEDDED: What’s one positive media trend? What’s one negative trend?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I have a particular distaste for whiny people. Media—big and small—is very whiny right now. I love how much content there is though. I enjoy sifting through.
EMBEDDED: Are you into any podcasts right now? How and when do you usually listen?
EMBEDDED: Have you had posts go viral? What is that experience like?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I’ve had a few Substack posts go viral which were all really fun.
EMBEDDED: Who’s the coolest person who follows you?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Coolest person to me or to you?
EMBEDDED: Which big celebrity has your favorite internet presence, and why?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Penn Badgley. He’s awesome.
EMBEDDED: Have you ever been heavily into Snapchat? Do you miss it?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Lol no hate that app.
EMBEDDED: When was the last time you browsed Pinterest? What for?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I was using Pinterest heavily a year ago when I was decorating my current space.
EMBEDDED: How would you describe Tumblr’s legacy?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Sad skinny white girls. Lots of runny mascara.
EMBEDDED: Are you in any groups on Reddit, Discord, Slack, or Facebook? What’s the most useful or entertaining one?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I lurk on a lot of Reddits. Too embarrassed to name them
EMBEDDED: How has using LinkedIn benefitted you, if at all?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: A lot I think. I get lazy about using the platform but its connected me to some really cool people
EMBEDDED: Do you use Slack or another chat tool for work? What’s the best thing about Slacking with your co-workers? What’s the worst thing?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I don’t use Slack, thankfully. At work we use Teams.
EMBEDDED: Do you typically start searches on Google, Reddit, TikTok, or another source? Have you found Google’s “generative AI” summaries helpful?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Google. But these days I add Reddit at the end of my Google search a lot too
EMBEDDED: What most excites you about AI chatbots and text and art generators? What most concerns you?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: ChatGPT is great for typos. That means a lot to me. I’m worried about pretty much everything everyone is worried about, but in a very back burner subdued way because there’s lots of other freaky shit happening
EMBEDDED: Are you currently playing any console, computer, or phone games?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Not since I was a child unfortunately
EMBEDDED: What is your Wordle starting word?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I’m bad at word games so they depress me and make me feel foolish. Like a coward I avoid them.
EMBEDDED: What’s your go-to emoji, and what does it mean to you?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I send hearts and smiley faces like a freak.
EMBEDDED: Do you text people voice notes? If not, how do you feel about getting them?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I love sending voice notes but I hate getting them. If you send me a voice note it’ll take me that much longer to listen. I mean, it depends honestly. But never send more than like two in a row. That’s a commitment
EMBEDDED: What’s a playlist, song, album, or style of music you’ve listened to a lot lately?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I’ve been listening to a lot of Infinity Song lately. They’re a sibling soft-rock band and wow their music just feels unreal.
Infinity Song
Artist
EMBEDDED: Do you pay for a music streaming service, and if so, which one? When was the last time you bought a music download or vinyl record, CD, or tape?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Last time I bought any of that stuff was maybe three years ago; and I think it was a gift for someone. I pay for Spotify. Love that app.
EMBEDDED: If you could only keep one streaming service for TV and/or movies, which would it be, and why? In general, do you prefer to get ads or pay more for ad-free tiers?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I don’t mind ads, and I’ll keep Netflix for sure. I hate it but there’s just so much stuff. Takes ages to find anything though
EMBEDDED: What’s your favorite non-social media app?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: WhatsApp. I’ve lived a very international life. It’s the one app that’s never failed me.
EMBEDDED: What’s the most basic internet thing that you love?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I really enjoy Instagram. Truly, it brings me joy.
EMBEDDED: Is there any content you want but can’t seem to find anywhere online?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I wish there was better publishing industry gossip. Like book publishing. That’s some Meta discourse I’d love to see
EMBEDDED: Do you regularly use eBay, Depop, or other shopping platforms? What’s a recent thing you’ve bought or sold?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: I’ve bought a few books from eBay, but I think that’s it.
EMBEDDED: Is there a site you like for product recommendations? How do you decide, for example, which air filter to buy?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Best Amazon reviews and I’m getting it. I hate shopping. I want it over quickly.
EMBEDDED: Have you recently read an article, book, or social media post about the internet that you’ve found particularly insightful?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: You know, I really hate reading other people’s thoughts on “the internet.”
EMBEDDED: What’s the last thing that brought you joy online?
OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO: Those cute baby compilation videos on TikTok. I live in a permanent state of baby fever.
