3 minute read
undeR the inFLuence
There’s been a sudden influx of books about influencers and not gonna lie, I’m so here for it! Perfect for when you need a distraction from Instagram Stories or your Twitter feed.
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Self Care
Leigh Stein
LOVED the way this poked fun at #girlboss culture. Maren and Devin are the duo who has created Richual, a social media platform devoted to self-care for women —think yoga, women with perfect dewy skin, pretty much a Glossier ad come to life. After a controversial tweet about the first daughter (totally Ivanka) goes viral for all the wrong reasons, the company is in turmoil and its CEO must go on a digital detox. This book is biting and satirical and smart and sharp. The characters are pretty much all awful and the references in here KILLED ME. It’s painful to read at times because of how cringy but spot-on Stein was with the millennial pink, grl pwr details.
Big Summer
Jennifer Weiner
Weiner just knows how to churn out fabulous beach read after fabulous beach read and Big Summer is no exception! She combines your typical beach read with a thriller and it makes for an absolute page-turner. Daphne is a plus-sized influencer who is surprised when she’s invited to her former best friend Drue’s society wedding. At the beachfront nuptials, something sinister goes wrong and Daphne is determined to find out what happened. As per usual, this one is the best blend of beach read with the perfect dollop of substance. Lots of commentary on body positivity and social media in here!
Follow Me
Kathleen Barber
Audrey, an influencer with more than a million Instagram followers, moves to DC for her dream job of working as a social media manager for a museum. Life seems great until she realizes she’s being stalked by a mysterious person thanks to her constant social media posting. You’ll be on edge the entire time as you read about how easily Audrey’s stalker is able to break into her computer and put together all of the little pieces of her life. This one is both an unputdownable thriller and a cautionary tale about how much of our lives we put online.
Pretty Things
Janelle Brown
If there’s one thing that I love more than influencer culture, it’s scammers and grifters, so naturally I loved Pretty Things because it’s a total combo of both! Nina has followed in her mother’s footsteps, running scams to make ends meet. When her mother needs life-saving treatment, Nina turns back to her Lake Tahoe roots, where she attempts to pull off her biggest scheme yet: robbing an heiress and Instagram star of millions.
Siri, Who Am I?
Sam Tschida
Siri, Who Am I? is the perfect blend of satire, romance and coming of age tale. Mia wakes up in a hospital with a cracked phone and a blood-soaked Prada dress and no memory of who she is or how she got there. Using her phone and her Instagram feed, she picks up the pieces and uncovers the truth about her life. This one is so funny and would be the perfect pick to pack in your beach bag!
Love at First Like
Hannah Orenstein
LOVE AT FIRST LIKE follows Eliza, who runs an up-and-coming Brooklyn jewelry store. When she accidentally posts a photo of her wearing an engagement ring to her feed, she finds that it majorly boosts the store’s cred and could be the ticket to success for her company. The only issue? Now she must find a groom. The nods to influencer culture (can you say #sponsoredwedding?) were perfect in here!
HOW IT’S MADE
Wondering how your favorite social media apps came to be? Look no further than these deep dives.
Hatching Twitter Nick Bilton
The behind the scenes on how Twitter went from a failed podcasting venture to having over 200 million active users.
No Filter
Sarah Frier
This take on how Instagram became everyone’s go-to app is at the top of my summer reading list.
Facebook: The Inside Story
Stephen Levy
A former Facebook insider spills all about one of the world’s most controversial social networks.
