When my daughter was born, I discovered the world of online influencers—a phenomenon that I am proud to say had passed me by completely before. But as a new mum, with more time on my hands than I was used to (in some ways at least…), I obsessively followed lots of family ‘vloggers’. These are people who upload snippets of their lives as a family on YouTube or Instagram, sharing what some might think mundane, but somehow becomes as compelling as reality television.
There was something weirdly addictive about watching other parents doing their parenting in what felt like real-time. It was the ultimate voyeurism—I got to see exactly what sort of clothes their babies were wearing, what food they were eating, what books they were reading and toys they were playing with…
I found myself heavily ‘influenced’ by these parents’ choices on things like cots and buggies and general baby paraphernalia. I didn’t know these women or their families, but as they shared so much with me, I became quite invested in them. I remember when one of them said she was in labor, I was desperately checking Twitter and Instagram waiting for the birth announcement—and to find out what gender the baby would be. She felt like my friend. Someone I genuinely cared about.
But she didn’t have a clue I existed.
What a fascinating topic for a novel, I thought. And thus the idea for my book, Unfollow Me, was born. But as a twist, I wanted to investigate the role of the influencer from the point of view of those being influenced.
And so my novel follows the stories of Yvonne and Lily, two women who for very different reasons are both obsessed with mummy influencer Violet Young and her ‘perfect life’ with three gorgeous children and a doting and successful husband. When Violet shuts down all her social media one night, out of the blue, Yvonne and Lily take it upon themselves to find out exactly what happened to her, with shocking consequences.
I’ll admit that for a brief time I thought I must be the first person to write a novel about this highly contemporary world, but it turns out I was wrong. Here are some more books that explore the very 21st century relationship between online influencers and their ‘followers’…
Follow Me by Kathleen Barber
Audrey Miller moves to Washington DC to take up a fantastic new job, taking along with her a fanbase amassing to hundreds of thousands of Instagram fans who follow her every move. She’s excited about the future, even if she does have to deal with a creepy neighbor living upstairs, and her only two friends in town are an ex-boyfriend and a sorority sister with a mysterious past. What Audrey doesn’t know however is that her move has brought her frighteningly close to someone who’s obsessively followed her on social media for years… And now there’s no physical distance between them, he’ll stop at nothing to make her his.
A cautionary tale about the dangers of sharing too much online—this is one that will really make you rethink your social media use.
Followers by Megan Angelo
A Truman Show story for the digital age, this dual timeline novel is partly set in the future. 2051 to be precise, when Marlow is paying the price for her mother’s choice back in 2015 to pursue social media stardom no matter what the cost. The two of them now live their lives on camera, in the closed community of Constellation. Unlike her mother, who craves the spotlight as much as she always did, Marlow hates having her every move judged by a national audience. But she isn’t brave enough to escape until she discovers the shocking truth about her birth. This is an inventive dystopia that will really make you think about where we’re headed.
Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach
Possibly one of the first novels to explore the divide between virtual and actual reality, Kiss Me First was released in 2014. It tells the story of Leila, who offers to impersonate vivacious and fragile Tess—a woman in her late 30s with mental health issues who wants to ‘disappear’ from life and all social connections. But can someone else truly take over our lives, even just online? We know the proposition is a bad one from the outset, but this gripping read takes us further into the dark than you could ever imagine.
Friends Like These by Sarah Alderson
Anyone who’s ever felt the green-eyed monster emerge when seeing our ‘perfect’ friend’s life splashed all over social media will find something that resonates with them in this novel. But Lizzie’s obsession with her colleague Becca’s designer wardrobe, hotshot boyfriend, exotic holidays and immaculately curated social media accounts was once on another level. Despite how much Lizzie couldn’t stand Becca’s boastfulness, she also couldn’t stop looking.
However, that was in the past, and things have changed. When Lizzie sees Becca’s ex pop up on Tinder, she can’t resist swiping right for him, and then investigating where Becca is now. But then Lizzie makes a simple but terrible mistake, and this time Becca won’t forgive her for it…This is an addictive rollercoaster of a read—one that will have you flipping pages long into the night.
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
Who needs enemies when you have friends like Louise? Louise, a wannabe writer on the cusp of turning 30, is struggling to stay afloat in a bustling New York that simply won’t pay any attention to her. But then she meets Lavinia—who is everything Louise isn’t. Rich, popular, beautiful with an amazing apartment. Lavinia invites Louise into her privileged circle, and documents their socialite partying perfectly across every social media account. But when Louise begins to see Lavinia’s darker side, things change. Just how far will she go to live this life? Or, rather, to live Lavinia’s life? A spiky, witty tale and a must for fans of The Talented Mr Ripley.
Shame on You by Amy Heydenrych
Holly Evans is a social media sensation—a true influencer who shares her clean-eating, clean-living lifestyle with her devoted audience. A cancer survivor, Holly’s immense popularity with her fans means that brands are falling over themselves to offer her lucrative contracts and she’s more than happy to share her spoils with her followers. But then one day, out of the blue, Holly is attacked by a man she’s only just met. Her fans rush to support her in her hour of need but she’s freaked out—it seems the man knows more about her than she’d like. Worse still, he hasn’t finished with her yet…A book that will make question everything you read online.
My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams
Last but not least and proof that truth is often stranger than fiction: My Friend Anna is the compelling tale of how fake society heiress Anna Delvey (not her real name) conned her ‘best friend’ out of thousands of dollars by pretending to be a wealthy Russian heiress. I inhaled this novel—the lengths and brazenness that Anna goes to in order to spin her fantasy life around herself made my mouth hang open. Anna truly believes in ‘faking it until you make it’ and for a while—a long while really—she gets away with it. Rachel’s account of her experiences with Anna are both difficult and frustrating to read but at the same time you can completely understand how she was sucked in by her guile-filled ‘friend’.
