The Accidental Influencer: How My Need to Get Likes Nearly Ruined My Life

Description

'STOP scrolling right now and buy this book instead!' SCARLETT CURTIS 'I've never laughed so hard.' DAISY BUCHANAN 'Brilliantly funny and bloody brave.' DAWN O'PORTER I thought I could have lots of followers, without needing followers. I thought I could monetise my account without selling out. I thought that I was different, that I wasn't like other girls. But I was, and that's why I had to stop. When Bella Younger spawned Deliciously Stella - her hilarious and daring social media alter ego - she wanted to prove once and for all that Instagram does not equal reality. Within weeks, she'd gone viral and begun her very own #influencerlife. Shoot. Post. Repeat. In 2016, Bella gained 75,000 followers overnight, and hundreds of likes a minute. Soon she was being paid thousands of pounds to beat up a cake for the 'gram, attend ludicrously lavish influencer gifting events and was dropping emoji-bombs left, right and centre. But even as the constant rush of notifications fuelled her endorphins, life among the Instafamous began to take a toll. As Bella's carefree presence flourished online, her health began to spiral offline, culminating in a stint at The Priory for social media addiction. Should she have undertaken a month-long run of stand-up comedy immediately after she was discharged? Probably not, but the pressure to be 'on' and online was all-consuming - and she had followers to please after all... Funny, frank and fearless, The Accidental Influencer is a relatable story of the precarious balancing act between our online and offline selves - and the truth behind the staged shots, spon-con, and the coveted but ever-elusive blue tick.

Bella Younger is a writer, comedian, speaker and social media sensation best known as her alter ego, Deliciously Stella. Since debuting at the Edinburgh Festival in 2015, she's been named as one of Glamour magazine's top 8 female comedians and as one of the Evening Standard's most influential Londoners - twice. To date, the Instagram account has spawned a spoof cookbook, a podcast with over 100,000 downloads and a sold-out live show at the Edinburgh Festival. Deliciously Stella enjoyed international acclaim, seeing Bella appear everywhere from the front page of The Times to being the top trending topic worldwide on Buzzfeed with over 1 million views. Just don't ask her if she 'eats clean'. Instagram @deliciouslystella Twitter @bellayounger

'Brilliantly funny and bloody brave' - Dawn O' Porter 'I've never laughed so hard as I have when I'm reading Bella. In an overwhelming, claustrophobic online world, this woman is a summer breeze coming through an open window. Her words make the internet - and the universe - a better place, which is no mean feat.' - Daisy Buchanan 'Accidental Influencer somehow manages to be both an incredibly important text on the phenomena of Instagram culture and a hilarious, un-put-down-able collection. It will make you think, laugh and want to throw your phone into the nearest black hole. Bella has spent the past few years acting as the dream undercover influencer spy and Accidental Influencer talks more honestly and accurately about this world than anything I've read to date! STOP scrolling right now and buy this book instead! It will change your mind, your life and hopefully your Instagram feed.' - Scarlett Curtis