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

‘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.