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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
Not groundbreaking but I did learn some stuff about the world of influencers. Not blown away by the writing but it could have been worse.
informative
slow-paced
It's an interesting look at the world of influencers, but I still can't help but feel that it's an industry with a strong impact on people, both negative and outsized. I don't like influencers and this book didn't change my opinion.
The author didn't go very in-depth with her investigation, and she didn't really interrogate the issues she did bring up like privilege, class, and the racial inequality in the industry. Some of her interviews simply felt like advertisements or plugs for the influencer in question.
2.5 stars because it is competently written.
The author didn't go very in-depth with her investigation, and she didn't really interrogate the issues she did bring up like privilege, class, and the racial inequality in the industry. Some of her interviews simply felt like advertisements or plugs for the influencer in question.
2.5 stars because it is competently written.
This book takes a very sympathetic view of influencers and is fairly light on any critique of influencers themselves. There are a lot of critiques aimed at people who don't take influencers seriously and at the social media apps like Instagram that have skyrocketed due to influencer usage. I wish the author had dug deeper; despite primarily focusing on three influencers, I didn't feel like I really saw their "unfiltered lives." Some of the interviews felt like one long ad for the influencer's "brand."
informative
fast-paced
very surface level book about influencers. I thought I would like it a lot more than I did. I felt like the writing was not very compelling and that it was a defense of rich white women. she talks about gaining equity in influencing but she spends much more time with Caitlin or Shannon than she does with Mirna.
fast-paced
This was more interesting than I expected! I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up because I don't follow any bloggers or first generation influencers, and therefore thought I wouldn't fully grasp the concept, but McNeal does a great job of providing the necessary background to help the reader understand the rise and dominance of influencer culture. (I was quickly sucked in, and taken aback, when I found out that one of the influencers McNeal interviews, Shannon Bird, lives in my own backyard!) This is going to sound dumb, but I did not realize how influential influencers actually are. I have always scoffed a bit at the idea of influencers (what do they do, anyway?), but I found my respect increase as I learned about how much work goes into curating and maintaining a successful online presence. I also found that some of my negative perceptions of influencers were validated in this work, especially in regard to the exploitation of children for financial gain. Overall, McNeal's work is transparent and fair, and ultimately it proves that influencers matter and are worthy of our discussion.
informative
reflective
medium-paced