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What made you smile today?

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One question, asked to a dozen students on a Nigerian campus: what actually made you smile today? The answers run from an exam that went well to simply being alive, and the person asking notices something about the question itself by the end.

The answers are short and specific. One says his mother. One says an exam, “because most of the questions is just what I read yesterday.” One will not narrow it down: “I’m alive, of course.” Another has had a flat day and says so, then finds something anyway.

The closing observation is the reason this piece is worth nine minutes. “Every single person that I asked what made you smile today has actually smiled first, before I showed that question. So if they are having a bad day, they think about what has actually made them smile. So this is a very thoughtful bounty.”

That is a working note about method, from a contributor discovering mid-shoot that the question does something to the person being asked before they answer it. It is the clearest description on the channel of why One Question is built the way it is.

Along the way he explains the programme to camera for anyone watching who might want to file their own: a weekly contest where you go out, interview people or take on a challenge, and get paid for what you bring back.

Filmed by Kaspa for a weekly We Them Media and poidh bounty.

What is in it

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Transcript

Auto-generated by YouTube, names corrected. Where YouTube masked a word it shows as [bleeped]; that is YouTube's, not ours. Published in full so it can be read, searched and quoted. Search every transcript →

0:00This is for poidh and We Them Media. All right, today is going to be a beautiful day and I’m in the streets of A Ife 9. You know, we did the palm side. All right, she died she okay. So, we’re in palm side and we want to go out there and ask students what they’re going to be saying what actually made their their day. But before I start, I want to say a big thank you to uh We the media and poidh. They’re doing something really, really great. And if you’re out there, you’re going to be watching this video as a youth, you like to document, like to make

0:34videos, like to talk to people, you like to uh just have fun, okay? We the media has been creating a weekly contest where you get to go interview people or they give you a certain challenge which is easy to accomplish. And when you do so, you can actually stand a chance to win bounty. You feel me? And not not only that, in poidh, there’s different tasks where you can make airplanes, where you can make um stunts, where you can do different kind of tasks, different kind of tasks that is accomplished anywhere and you can actually get paid for it. So, check out poidh, check out We the media. All

1:11right, so now I’m in the I’m in the school again, so let me ask one nice person. Let me meet anybody. All right, I see I can see my guy over there. Can you hear me? All right, let’s let’s walk up to him. Let me know what he’s going to say. Hi. Hello, it’s it’s it’s just a normal video. It’s you actually, it’s you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, do you mind not being on camera? I just want to ask you a very simple question, okay? All right, it’s just a very simple question. It’s very easy to to to actually answer. You don’t mind?

1:40All right. I’m Casper. Daniel, nice to meet you. So, what I want to ask you is, what actually made you smile today? My mom. Your mom? Wow, okay, okay. What happened? Is it that she she sent you money? I was like I asked my students, like oh, she sent you money. bro. Nice, nice, nice, nice. Nice, nice. she. All right, it’s nice to meet you, bro. All right, take care. So, we move on to the next person. It’s more machine learning smile. God. Let’s go to the next person. Let’s go to the next person. All right.

2:09Hello, my bro. Say cheese, bro. Oh, my man. Okay, do you mind being on the camera? All right, just want to ask you a very simple question. All right, this question is the question is this, what actually made you smile today?

2:24Oh, don’t think about it. Just say don’t even really think think about it. What actually made me smile today? Yeah, what actually made you smile today?

2:31Um It’s a bad day exam that we write today. Whoa, the exam you wrote today? Because most of the question is just what I read yesterday. Yeah.

2:41So, that means you don’t download you give the lecturer assignment. Come on, come on. Let’s get this started. LET’S GO. AND UH SUCCESS TO YOUR EXAMS, BRO. Good day. Good evening to you. I hope you don’t mind being on camera. I just want to ask you a very simple question. Clement is wrong. Clement, relax now.

3:01All right, what I want to ask you is this, yeah. What actually made you smile today? Okay. I would say God. God made you smile today. All right, when you pray to God yeah, you actually So, what about your exams, sir?

3:13Yeah, we thank God it was fine. You thank God, right? I appreciate I appreciate. But, God made you smile today. It’s like I’ll be more grateful to God.

3:19All right, now take care, everyone. All right, chief. So, let’s see the street. Let’s see the street, bro. Hm. We the media is doing something great. Come over. Come over here. Come over here. It’s hard to see people smile. When you look at individuals right now on the street, a lot of students it’s hard to see them smile. But, when you stop a student to ask them a question that what actually made them smile, bro, it’s different. It’s not it’s it’s it’s it makes them to think about what they actually did today that actually made them smile. You feel me? So, let’s get started. I can’t wait to interview

3:51more people. You feel me? You know what I mean? Let’s She’s walking fast. Hello. Good evening. My name is Casper. I want to ask you a simple question. It’s a street interview. It’s a very simple question. It’s a street interview. I want to ask you a simple question. You’re in a hurry. All right, take care. All right, let’s get started. Let’s go. So, I think we’re going to interview the next person and let’s hear from her what she has to say. Hello. Good evening. My name is Casper. I hope you don’t mind being recorded. I want to ask you a simple question. It’s a street

4:19interview. I’m in a hurry. You’re in a hurry? Just one question. Is that okay with that? I’m not okay. All right, take care of yourself, okay? So, I wanted to ask you a simple question. I I wanted to just a street interview. So, I hope you don’t mind being on camera.

4:35What is the camera for? Okay, we’re actually running a street interview and I want to just ask you a simple question that you can just give me a reply for. Is that okay by you, sir?

4:45Where which platform are you on? All right, which platform? Yes. I I’m I posting my videos? I post on X, that is Twitter, and I also post on TikTok sometimes.

4:55Okay. All right. All right, so what actually made you smile today? I’m alive, of course. The fact that you’re alive made you smile? Yes, I’m I’m alive, healthy, strong. As you can see, the atmosphere is very encouraging.

5:12Very, very. Very encouraging. At least uh for about 24 hours now, we are feeling like we are in London. So, the past uh 20 something hours now, it seems like we are in hellfire.

5:28Yeah. Yeah, it’s cool. Everybody Everybody is enjoying the atmosphere. So, I’m happy. All right, stay safe. Stay safe. Guys, I’m out of here for me. Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate you. So, let’s move on. Oh, what’s up, I hope you don’t mind being on camera. I want to ask you a very simple question, man.

5:44Okay. All right, so what made you smile today? Um nothing really. I never stopped smiling. So, how far waiting to smile? Um the weather is really good.

6:01The weather is good, but The weather is good. It’s cool. Time sheet. Time sheet. Aside from that, nothing has made you smile today? I’m not sure.

6:08Um but if I if I can tell you something I can make you smile, but you might have to put some work. Will you be able to do it?

6:17Do you do you can you make content like this? Do you mind hitting the street and making content like this? No. Nah. You don’t have that strength for it.

6:26Yeah. Okay. Do you make airplanes? Like do you have sometimes Can you do some you mean a mini mini mini tasks that can actually pay you dollars? Can you do some something like that? Some you see. So, my name is Casper and I’d like to hit you up. Give me my number so you can trust me. I’ll introduce you to Voice and um you can check out some bounties there. It might be something that might help you to actually make money for yourself while you’re in school. You feel me? So, you can hit me on WhatsApp, okay? Just tell me you you met me on the road and um

7:02I’ll reply you, okay? I’ll bring you on Voice. Text me now. I’m Casper, k s p All right. See you, my man. I’m with you. The next person to ask this very simple question. So, follow me as I interview this very beautiful couple over here. So, yep. Good evening, chief. Good evening, miss. Hi. Good evening. My name is Casper. I’m doing a very a very short street interview and I just want to just hear your answer. Hope you don’t mind being on camera.

7:28I mind. You don’t like me. You don’t like how my day You don’t like how I talk abi? So, no leave am. Yeah. All right, now. Levels. Levels. All right, now. Time sheet. Hello. Sorry. Do you guys mind being on camera? I want to say I want to ask you simple question. Do you Okay, okay. I see. Let’s get it started. Hi, what’s up? Very good. All right. So, my name is KAS APA. So, I want to ask what actually made you smile today? Okay. Wow, see. Let’s get it started. She’s okay, okay, okay. Now, let’s return the question to you. What actually made you smile today?

8:06I don’t know, but I smile for so many reasons. You smile for so many reasons, right? I see. I see. Oh, she’s so fine, I see. That’s why she actually made him smile. Let’s get it started. All right, I will thank you so much, my G. All right, I will take care, man. All right, thank you.

8:22Let’s get it started. Every single person that I that I asked what are you or what made you smile today has actually smiled first before I showed that question. So, if I told they are having a bad day, they think about what has actually made them smile. So, this is a very thoughtful bounty, and man, 100. We have come to the end of this beautiful street interview in the street of A A Fun Night. Come on, man. So, it was lovely to see some students smile, and those that actually had their own things, you feel me? So, I see. See you on the next one.

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