“Honey, let’s get into this chapter here,” is how Baltimore-based rapper DDm began his Facebook Live video Tuesday night as he began his latest live reading of Omarosa Manugault Newman’s tell-all book, Unhinged: The Omarosa Story. For the past few weeks, DDm, who was born Emmanuel Williams, has been reading in his living room with his cat Taco Bell by his side—with plenty of colorful commentary—to his thousands of followers.

Williams, who is very much into politics, planned to read Manigualt Newman’s book just for leisure but he says that when she revealed that she had tapes of White House conversations, he just knew that he wanted to take it to social media.

“I didn’t think anybody was going to care,” he said. “I just thought that me and a few of my friends would just laugh and ki-ki and then move on with our lives. I had no idea it would be all this.”

Viewers tune in Tuesday through Thursday as he reads various excerpts from the book and discusses it in the only way he knows how—very candidly. Tuesday night, Manigault Newman even commented on his live stream saying that she wanted to meet him.

“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Williams said of the comment from the former reality star and Trump political aide. “I’m gagging! I was so shocked. I didn’t even know until someone pointed it out to me.”

Williams’ videos come at a time when plenty of whistleblowing and controversy is surrounding the Trump administration and the rapper says he’s happy to be part of the conversation.

“I get so many emails and messages from people who were completely tapped out with the whole situation in the White House,” he says. “They say I’ve reinvigorated their interest in what’s going on politically.”

After receiving an overwhelming amount of support from his more than 20,000 Facebook followers, Williams has decided to expand his reach by launching a new YouTube channel, a Christmas special, and a podcast Secretary of Shade set to debut on September 4.

“People are telling me that they watch it like a TV show,” he said. “If they like it, I’ll keep doing it. It’s a great way to showcase all that I do. People aren’t tuning in because I have a hot record, or they love the video. They just like to hear me read a book.”

Last Wednesday, hordes of art lovers gathered on the sidewalk of Art Museum Drive to take in the illumination of Tavares Strachan’s exhibit In Broad Daylight. Above the grand columns and staircase of the Baltimore Museum of Art, the orange letters came to life in front of everyone’s eyes. And, thanks to social media, everyone following along at home also had a front row seat.

Not only has social media been great for promotion and education, but it’s also redefining how the art world operates.

“It gives everyone equal access digitally to get their work out there and to get the word out about what they’re doing,” said Andrea Boston, the social media manager for the BMA. “I use social media to share facts about an artist or to share the history behind the work of art. It creates this experience with art and what’s going on behind the doors in real-time.”

Aside from artists using it to sidestep galleries to make a name for themselves, social media also makes it easier to sell their work. Boston says that she’s actually purchased prints from artists through Instagram and notices that some even forego professional websites for Facebook and Instagram accounts instead.

“Social media requires strong imagery and a compelling message, which is perfect for art,” she said. “Particularly Instagram, which is a platform that is pretty much designed for beautiful, well-curated photos. That’s the perfect soil for artists to grow a following.”

For local visual artist Hoesy Corona, he believes that social media is a game changer for the art world. By opening up the possibilities that were once limited to reach potential audiences, it’s helped him to establish his brand on his own terms.

“I tend to use it as a professional extension of my studio practice—a virtual marketing assistant of sorts,” he says. “I can give both insight into my studio process, as well as keep my audience informed about my goings-on.”

Strachan himself has a complicated relationship with social media. While he believes that it’s beneficial to his craft, he also knows it’s hard to escape. As an artist, he has to make sure that his work remains the most important thing.

“The art world and being an artist has become kind of global I think,” he says. “It allows for us to stay connected.”

Corona shares a similar philosophy about the influence of social media and believes that it will only continue to help open the doors for artists and patrons alike.

“Just a handful of years ago, artists were limited by the ways in which they could reach potential audiences and had to rely on discriminating middlepersons to sell their goods or gain access to show their work,” he explains. “Social media gives artists plenty of exposure without the help of predatory arts professionals which allows smaller independent artist run spaces to carve a niche for themselves and build a wider audience.”

The BMA has seen that happen quite literally. In just one year, their Instagram followers have grown from 8,000 to nearly 17,000 due to what Boston describes as “growing interest in the dope things the museum has been doing.” By using Instagram and other social media channels to share what’s new or coming soon, they have been able to draw in more visitors than they would have a decade ago.

“Our numbers show it,” she says. “It creates this immediacy and accessibility that we didn’t have before. It opens this portal to art and discovery that may have felt exclusive or roped off in the past.”

Without a business degree or cosmetology license, Jamyla Bennu began making hair products in her kitchen and shared the recipes with her online followers. It was then, in 2001, that Bennu and her husband Pierre birthed Oyin Handmade, a natural hair and body care product line, in their kitchen of their Baltimore home. 

Fast forward more than a decade later, Oyin—which is Yoruba for honey—has come a long way from kitchen concoctions and Mason jars. It is now an internationally recognized and award-winning beauty brand sold at major retailers like Target, CVS, and Whole Foods. And she credits a lot of their success to social media.

“It really just started to spread by word of mouth,” she said. “Then I looked up two years later and it’s all that I was doing. It kind of took over.”

During the early stages, Bennu realized that social media was a great way to communicate with her customers, but she had no real marketing training to do it effectively. She came across a program created by Facebook, the Small Business Boost, that involves a series of workshops that educate small business owners on the tools for how to use Facebook and other social media to benefit a business.

“Before the workshops, I had been experimenting in a haphazard sort of way,” she said. “I’m a maker, I’m not a marketer so I didn’t come into it thinking about the different technical strategies to use. That’s not my native language, so it was very useful to get access to information about how to use the tools effectively.”

After learning the best practices for branding her business (including peak times to post, using Facebook Live), she decided to continue her relationship with Facebook by becoming a member of the #SheMeansBusiness project. This online network celebrates women in business and showcases inspirational stories from those who use Facebook as a main tool for marketing and connecting with their customers. Bennu’s journey was such an inspiration that she is one of seven women profiled on the website.

“It was part intimidating and part exciting to have an outside crew come in and let me tell my story to a wider audience,” she said. “It was also exciting to see my work and my company through their eyes. I don’t get to tell my story often and take a step back to look at the impact in a larger social sense.” 

Oyin Handmade is very active on all social media platforms and Bennu says it’s become the best way to engage with their customers. Whether it’s used to promote a new product or share tips and tricks, she says that social media has changed the way she does business.

“In the realm of natural hair and beauty, there’s tons of people who are using Instagram and Facebook to share their experiences and product reviews,” she said. “Social media is vital to us.”