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A review by wandering_reads
Followers by Megan Angelo
4.0
If there ever was a book that fully convicts us in the digital age, it is Followers.
After all, many of us wonder where this world will end up going. Will we ever tire of influencers and reality stars and all the uber-made-up stars pumping us full of products that "totally work"? And if all of our pseudo-privacy is taken away and our dirty secrets exposed, how will we handle it?
Wow.
Floss is the sort of Insta-star people wonder 'what is your actual job'? I know I do. And at what cost are they famous? She is every fame-hungry internet star who is willing step on everyone else to get to her fame. While Angelo writes tongue-in-cheek at times, mocking our love of ridiculous publicity stunts that we know are fake but love to treat as if they are real. She is one heck of a manipulator, and while it's easy to hate her, I don't think she's entirely bad. Or, at least, she has help, perhaps.
Orla is the retiring friend who doesn't think other people will step on her to get to their fame. She has her share of shameful moments as well, of moments when she doesn't think she'll hurt anyone ... but. There's always a but.
Followers brings to life where we are now (2015/2016) and where the future will be (2051). It is a commentary of the digital age, of our online obsessions, of the things we believe are private about ourselves ... of all the truths we hold carefully, only to find out that we're just one step away from the entire world knowing - or, perhaps, more than the entire world watching us, just those who didn't want to know our deepest secrets. It certainly made me question the devices I use and all the things I've already put out into the inter-webs ... I already know my phone listens to me, so ...
After all, isn't it most important to have followers believing in the fake-reality of our online lives?
After all, many of us wonder where this world will end up going. Will we ever tire of influencers and reality stars and all the uber-made-up stars pumping us full of products that "totally work"? And if all of our pseudo-privacy is taken away and our dirty secrets exposed, how will we handle it?
Wow.
Floss is the sort of Insta-star people wonder 'what is your actual job'? I know I do. And at what cost are they famous? She is every fame-hungry internet star who is willing step on everyone else to get to her fame. While Angelo writes tongue-in-cheek at times, mocking our love of ridiculous publicity stunts that we know are fake but love to treat as if they are real. She is one heck of a manipulator, and while it's easy to hate her, I don't think she's entirely bad. Or, at least, she has help, perhaps.
Orla is the retiring friend who doesn't think other people will step on her to get to their fame. She has her share of shameful moments as well, of moments when she doesn't think she'll hurt anyone ... but. There's always a but.
Followers brings to life where we are now (2015/2016) and where the future will be (2051). It is a commentary of the digital age, of our online obsessions, of the things we believe are private about ourselves ... of all the truths we hold carefully, only to find out that we're just one step away from the entire world knowing - or, perhaps, more than the entire world watching us, just those who didn't want to know our deepest secrets. It certainly made me question the devices I use and all the things I've already put out into the inter-webs ... I already know my phone listens to me, so ...
After all, isn't it most important to have followers believing in the fake-reality of our online lives?