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hisparks23 's review for:
Swipe Up For More!: Inside the Unfiltered Lives of Influencers
by Stephanie McNeal
I don’t like to rate nonfiction because putting a star on people’s lived experiences just doesn’t feel right—
This was a very solid middle-of-the-road read for me. It was quick and there were definitely some entertaining aspects. I LOVED reading about Mirna and as a Vermonter, felt so proud that the most obviously likable influencer she “follows” is a Vermonter too.
I was really excited when I read the first chapter because it felt like McNeal was setting the scene for a deep dive into the Mormon/influencer venn diagram that I’m absolutely fascinated by, but she didn’t take that aspect as far as I was hoping and to be quite honest, I think I could write a more informative book about that piece of the puzzle based on my research (Reddit counts as research right?)
I was also a bit disappointed at how “pro” influencer this story is, because while I do think McNeal offers up criticism at times, it’s not done so in a direct way and it’s more like tongue in cheek snark that leaves the information up to the reader to interpret for themselves. I’m not sure that I need to read about how hard these jobs are and how reels make it harder and was hoping for a bit more nuanced discussion? I don’t think every influencer deserves a take-down and GOMI is disgustingly vicious, but there are some aspects of influencing that I would’ve liked her to touch on, like how much this lifestyle contributes to consumerism and the unattainable version of “perfection.” I think at one point I laughed out loud because she wrote something like “Instagram still has negative effects on mental health,” like YA THINK?!? Talk about an understatement.
She did make a really interesting point that I’ve struggled to articulate as a millennial that I think helps me understand why even though I’m not that far apart from age in Gen Z, why I feel SO different than them at times,—saying “For Gen Z, there is no culture and internet culture. They are one.” I’d read an entire book on that thought, and I’m not writing off McNeal forever just because I wasn’t blown away by this, so maybe that can be the next book??
This was a very solid middle-of-the-road read for me. It was quick and there were definitely some entertaining aspects. I LOVED reading about Mirna and as a Vermonter, felt so proud that the most obviously likable influencer she “follows” is a Vermonter too.
I was really excited when I read the first chapter because it felt like McNeal was setting the scene for a deep dive into the Mormon/influencer venn diagram that I’m absolutely fascinated by, but she didn’t take that aspect as far as I was hoping and to be quite honest, I think I could write a more informative book about that piece of the puzzle based on my research (Reddit counts as research right?)
I was also a bit disappointed at how “pro” influencer this story is, because while I do think McNeal offers up criticism at times, it’s not done so in a direct way and it’s more like tongue in cheek snark that leaves the information up to the reader to interpret for themselves. I’m not sure that I need to read about how hard these jobs are and how reels make it harder and was hoping for a bit more nuanced discussion? I don’t think every influencer deserves a take-down and GOMI is disgustingly vicious, but there are some aspects of influencing that I would’ve liked her to touch on, like how much this lifestyle contributes to consumerism and the unattainable version of “perfection.” I think at one point I laughed out loud because she wrote something like “Instagram still has negative effects on mental health,” like YA THINK?!? Talk about an understatement.
She did make a really interesting point that I’ve struggled to articulate as a millennial that I think helps me understand why even though I’m not that far apart from age in Gen Z, why I feel SO different than them at times,—saying “For Gen Z, there is no culture and internet culture. They are one.” I’d read an entire book on that thought, and I’m not writing off McNeal forever just because I wasn’t blown away by this, so maybe that can be the next book??