Scan barcode
Reviews
Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet by Taylor Lorenz
chorizoslut's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I have been a casual social media user through the years, I never really thought about the history of social media or influencers until I developed an interest in understanding how disinformation can harm society and democracy. this book was enlightening in my pursuit of that understanding.
it was fun to hear about the earliest version of hype houses and about mommy bloggers and creator management companies. it was well researched and fun way to reexamine the culture I grew up in.
perhaps the best point the author makes is that as recently as the early aughts, being a “poser” and “sellout” were blistering insults. today, creators post fake spon con to try and project success. selling out is the goal now, the dream is to become a walking billboard. excellent read, highly recommend.
it was fun to hear about the earliest version of hype houses and about mommy bloggers and creator management companies. it was well researched and fun way to reexamine the culture I grew up in.
perhaps the best point the author makes is that as recently as the early aughts, being a “poser” and “sellout” were blistering insults. today, creators post fake spon con to try and project success. selling out is the goal now, the dream is to become a walking billboard. excellent read, highly recommend.
elliew's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
An interesting summary of internet history so far as it pertains to influencers. Very readable, I learned a lot. I was surprised at the lack of inclusion of non-American creators - the Britcrew in particular had a huge impact on content creation/influencing so not including them seems like a bit of a miss.
pineconek's review
informative
medium-paced
3.75
The author and I are approximately the same age and had remarkably (disturbingly) similar internet experiences. While I never really got into early YouTube or Vine celebrities, everyone around me did and I remember some of the critical moments described in the book all too well.
Extremely Online describes how the internet went from classic Geocities websites to what we see in the early to mid 2020s. There's a lot of focus placed on monetization of content and ways in which everything became an ad. As an aspiring YouTuber (who hasn't posted in months, which the algo will punish me for when I get back to it), a lot of this was frightening and frustrating to read. It definitely provided helpful insight into the attention economy and context for what we see in current content creation trends.
I went into this book expecting less of a focus on internet celebrity and personality cult and more of a deep dive into how internet trends entered non-internet spaces or, conversely, ways in which people abandoned their physical lives in favor of their digital ones. While it took me to some unexpected places, I found the book well researched and insightful.
Recommended if you're interested in the bizarre logic of the influencer economy and the rise and fall of social media platforms (Facebook, twitter, instagram, vine, snapchat, and tiktok all feature quite prominently). 3.75 stars on SG rounded up to 4 on GR.
Extremely Online describes how the internet went from classic Geocities websites to what we see in the early to mid 2020s. There's a lot of focus placed on monetization of content and ways in which everything became an ad. As an aspiring YouTuber (who hasn't posted in months, which the algo will punish me for when I get back to it), a lot of this was frightening and frustrating to read. It definitely provided helpful insight into the attention economy and context for what we see in current content creation trends.
I went into this book expecting less of a focus on internet celebrity and personality cult and more of a deep dive into how internet trends entered non-internet spaces or, conversely, ways in which people abandoned their physical lives in favor of their digital ones. While it took me to some unexpected places, I found the book well researched and insightful.
Recommended if you're interested in the bizarre logic of the influencer economy and the rise and fall of social media platforms (Facebook, twitter, instagram, vine, snapchat, and tiktok all feature quite prominently). 3.75 stars on SG rounded up to 4 on GR.