by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)
Purely by accident, I have read some excellent books recently that have involved--to some extent--questions about social media (or just going viral). Some of these books are really contemplating the nature of social media, its pros and cons, while others include going viral merely as a plot point.
Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project - There's a central viral video that kicks off the plot here, and protagonist Samiah Brooks has to deal with its aftermath. Check out my review.
Alisha Rai's The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral - As the titles might give away, both of these romance novels have characters who work in social media, and so Rai explores the implications of the work AND the negative impact of going viral thoroughly. Here's my review of Girl Gone Viral.
Megan Angelo's Followers - I thoroughly enjoyed this novel that paired a contemporary world focused on social media with the potential dystopian world that could result. Here's my review.
Kelly Harms's The Bright Side of Going Dark - This is perhaps the book that is most explicitly about the positives and negatives of social media and of influencer culture. Here's my review.
Jennifer Weiner's Big Summer - The protagonist of Big Summer, Daphne Berg, is a plus-size influencer, and Weiner explores the power that gives her over her own narrative and identity and also the pressures of influencer culture. Here's my review.
Kiley Reid's Such a Fun Age - This is one of my favorite books on this list (check out my rave review!), and the potential of going viral--and the ways that potential can be used both to proliferate and subvert racism--makes it such a fascinating read.
Brandy Colbert's The Voting Booth - I absolutely loved this YA novel that takes place over the course of one day. The power of social media here is only a small part of the narrative, but again, Colbert considers its potential to encourage political activism and also the ways that we curate our identities carefully on social media. Here's my review on our website.
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