I'm so excited to be a part of this book blog tour! My [Secret] YouTube Life is a book that I had seen pop up on a few social media pages, mainly on Twitter, and the title intrigued me so much that I went over to GoodReads and added it to my TBR list.
I feel incredibly lucky to have been sent a copy of this book by the publishers, who then asked if I would like to be involved with the blog tour. Obviously, I said yes!
I then had the chance to ask debut author Charlotte Seager some questions about her book and the key themes, including fame, social media and online presence.
Read on for the interview...
An interview with Charlotte Seager
Hi
Charlotte, I just want to say that I am so excited for the release of your
book. How does it feel to put your writing out into the world?
It’s so, so exciting, but also slightly surreal. Ever since I was little I had hoped to get a book published, but I never really thought it would happen. I found out
late one Friday night, on the train home from work, and I was just in shock for a few days! Now I’m just so happy to be able to share my book with readers (who hopefully will enjoy the story as much as I did writing it!)
What was your main inspiration behind the book?
When I was working as a journalist in London, a chance meeting with a couple of YouTubers sparked the idea for the novel. I started quizzing them about what they did, and became fascinated by how different our lives can be on- and offline.
The more I thought about it, the more I could
picture a teenager obsessed with her favourite YouTuber’s ‘perfect life’ which
doesn’t exist – and the YouTuber equally feeling pressure over the perfect,
role model image she had created online. I was desperate to write it!
Did the
research for this book involve watching a lot of YouTube?
When I was a teenager, I watched a lot of videos on how to create eyeliner flicks and perfect heatless loose curls, so I had probably already watched enough! Writing this book was fun though, because I could kid myself that watching more YouTube was ‘research’ and not just procrastinating.
Were there any YouTubers in particular that you found yourself watching a lot of, either as part of the research process or for your own enjoyment?
At the moment I love thataylaa, particularly her Foundation Fridays as I have acne-prone skin that is tricky to cover, and her reviews are so detailed. In the past I’ve watched Zoella (of course), Nikkia Joy, Aly Art, Casey Holmes, Niomi Smart and many others.
Some would complain that people on social media are over-sharing their lives, others complain that people only share the glamourized, good parts. Do you think there is a right or wrong way to go about what should be shared, or is it about balance?
I think it’s genuinely about balance. Social media can be a great way to relax and unwind if you treat it lightly, and realise that what you’re seeing online isn’t real. But it’s so easy to get sucked into believing what you see on social media.
I think it’s important to remember that online you aren’t seeing a snapshot of someone’s life, but a selection of carefully edited photos or posts that they have chosen to look appealing.
When comparing yourself to others online, my number one tip is to remember that what you’re seeing are the highlights of their life, not the uncut bloopers.
How much do you think this impacts on the confidence, expectations and aspirations of those viewing it?
Social media can hurt your confidence if you use it to compare yourself to others. It’s easy to think you’re not good enough if you judge yourself by the ‘perfect’ online life, which doesn’t exist. I think most people realise this, but it’s human instinct to always think the grass is greener - so you have to take it lightly and concentrate on being yourself.
Do you feel that this is becoming more of a numbers game (number of likes, followers, subscribers, views…)?
Definitely! As Melissa does in the book, it’s easy to become obsessed with how many likes, followers and subscribers you have - and do whatever it takes to increase them. When what social media should be about is finding like-minded people to connect with, and bringing people together with a common interest.
Although social media is meant to be a fun, engaging outlet, there is a dark side. As someone who has experienced trolling on a blog post and an Instagram post before, I know the impact it can have first-hand. Have you experienced trolling, either personally or when doing research for your book?
Yes, early in my career as a journalist I experienced trolling on a regular basis - both in the comments beneath my articles and people emailing me. The worst comments I got were personal. One I remember was on how men won’t like me because I am a feminist, another one was from someone who told me I was ‘a lazy journalist who couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed in the morning!’
I’ve never taken trolls that seriously, because it’s so easy to write comments without thinking, in a burst of rage or with a half-formed opinion, so I don’t think the messages you see from ‘trolls’ reflect what most people think. They’re from someone who hasn’t met you, and probably never will, so you have to try and rise above the criticism.
What message
do you hope your readers take away from your book?
I hope my story makes readers feel more confident and accepting of themselves - and makes them think (cliched as it sounds) that nobody is perfect.
Finally,
could you describe your book in three words?
Fame. Love. Lies!
Thank you so much for answering my questions, Charlotte.
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Now for my review...
I read this whole book in one day.
Actually, it was mostly in one sitting. I think one of the main reasons I was able to whizz through this book was because the chapters were quite short, so it was very easy for me to just say "oh, just one more chapter." Before I knew it, I had read ten more chapters! I do love quick chapters like this.
The other thing that I loved about the chapters were that they alternated between the two key characters: Lily, the famous YouTuber with three million subscribers, and Melissa, the unknown blogger who wants more from the online world.
I love books that are written from two different perspectives like this.
It keeps the balance between the two main characters and you get to find out enough about each of them.
The concept of this book is fantastic.
I absolutely loved the storyline and how we follow these two characters through it so closely. YouTube and social media is such a prominent part of life today.
I'm actually surprised there aren't more books like this.
I also really liked that this book covered a lot of issues raised online, such as confidence, trolling, idolisation, workload, obsession and stalking, the news and media, toxic relationships, friendships and so much more. It really does cover a wide range of themes and it manages to do so in a very realistic way.
It's a book that really gets you thinking.
Going back to the characters: They are brilliantly portrayed. Melissa was a character that I didn't particularly like and at times I wanted to reach into the book and shake her. I wanted to snap her out of her strange blogging habit, but it made her more real and I can completely understand why she was written this way.
There were even a couple of scenes in the book that I could relate to things that I've seen happen recently, such as TanaCon. If you don't know what TanaCon was then you can head over to Google and search it, so much stuff comes up about it. But in the book there is a moment when YouTuber Lily turns up at the venue for her event and there are more people than there should be, and they talk about how people with tickets might not even get in.
It just goes to show that a situation like this might feel crazy to some but it's really happening out there!
There are YouTubers and other influencers who are caught up in scandals and have to release statements, there are some involved in arguements who throw shade at each other in their videos, the list goes on. Luckily, there are some great, drama-free YouTubers out there, you just have to look closely. But remember, you're only seeing part of their lives, not all of it.
I think this is a very important book that should be read by everyone who thinks people who have a successful blog or YouTube channel are perfect, especially those who aspire to be like them.
This book really does shine a light on something that is a big part of most young people's lives.
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Thanks for reading my interview with Charlotte and my review. I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour and pick up a copy of My [Secret] YouTube Life.
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