BOOK REVIEW NUMBER 1

In Real Life: Love, Lies and Identity in the Digital Age by Nev Shulman


If you read my blog at all, you would know that I’m really interested in how social media affects our lives and how technology has changed society. Now, if you’re interested in the same thing, or specifically are a fan of Nev Shulman (presenter of Catfish: The TV Show), then I have found the perfect book for you.

The book talks through Nev’s experiences with having a Catfish crush, to how to avoid being too over-active on social media and the way that you’re seen to the world. The book highlights a lot of personal information about Nev which I found reassuring that although he seems “perfect” and that having the outlook of being a changed man in the TV program is genuine. He talks about his experiences being too frivolous and not being able to commit to people, from being kicked out of school to punching his best friend and rebuilding the relationship they had.

Nev highlights the different types of Catfish he's encountered and how to perhaps look for red flags if you are in that kind of relationship. Not only this, but he talks about fame and how social media has changed the way that people see themselves and the way media fuels how people see themselves against the "perfect body". What stuck out to me was the integration of tips and advice on how to tackle social media, with his own experiences. 

Overall, I was really impressed with how the book was written and no section was too long to read. The barebones to this book is that it is a cross between an autobiography and a self-help book, which I found really addictive. I read a lot generally, and I found Nev’s approach fresh and interesting. Nev is a really interesting guy to follow and I felt as if I was reading a fiction book about someone’s life, and that escapism that it provided meant that you really took in what was being said.

This is a short book review, but I suppose you have to go and pick it up off the shelf to find out yourself what you think of it. I found it changing to my attitude and perhaps more empathetic towards how to go about social media and how to avoid spending too much time on it. One of the main things I’ve been doing recently is meeting up with friends for dinner – I seem to be eating out at least once a week at the moment, as I feel that meeting up with friends is much better than texting them how they’re doing.


I really do hope you pick up the book and find it as much of an incredible story as I did.

Popular posts from this blog

THE COMPLEX LANDSCAPE OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

Image
Below is an excerpt from my university dissertation, a chapter on software product management: The term "product management" may have originated in the 1930s, courtesy of Proctor and Gamble, but its widespread adoption by software organizations only occurred in the 1990s (Kittlaus & Fricker, 2017; Fricker, 2012). Fast forward to today, and product management has become a ubiquitous role in companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft (Cagan, 2017). So, what exactly is software product management (SPM)? SPM is a multifaceted business process that oversees a product's journey from inception to delivery. It's a blend of release planning, strategy, and development (Ebert, 2014). However, there's no shortage of varying definitions. Steinhardt (2010) sees it as grounded in general management techniques, with a focus on product planning and marketing, while Haines (2008) defines it as a business organization concentrating on strategizing, introducing, devel...
Read more

THREE DAYS GRACE - 13TH JANUARY 2016

Image
I think it is a pretty safe assumption that I’m no rock chick, or any kind of social stereotype really. Perhaps I’m a misfit, but as I discovered when going to see Three Days Grace...I am not going to be getting any facial piercings or tattoos any time soon. I went with a good friend to see them and they’re something else - a Canadian heavy rock band that make really cool music. Initially I was introduced to them quite a while ago when my brother wanted their One-X album, but they were far too heavy for me. Over time I’ve come to discover that there is no way for me to differentiate my musical taste, it varies massively and to be honest, I’m a misfit wherever I go. My gig list goes from Bach, to Three Days Grace, to Hunter Hayes - and that’s just 3 separate genres. I really wanted to get tickets to see ACDC in June but they sold out so quickly. Anyway, so the gig was pretty epic. Despite having the worlds most annoying people in front of us, we were pretty close. For example,...
Read more

SKILLS FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN ADVERT

Image
It all started in July 2023, when I sent off a video of myself speaking for 30 seconds and some information about my apprenticeship, company, and background. In September, I was contacted by the casting agency working on behalf of the Department for Education to be part of a filming shoot in mid-October. I was understandably really excited, what could this mean – they gave me an idea that it could be billboards, adverts, posters, and banners, but I didn’t know which part of that I’d be involved in.   They sent me all the information running up to the event where I’d be off to shoot for a TV advert in Manchester in mid-October 2023. I took the 5 hour train up to Manchester one Wednesday afternoon, and stayed in a hotel overnight anxiously awaiting the call sheet they would send me later. The taxi call was 6am, and I went down to find 3 other apprentices and an actress waiting for the same mini-bus, and we were off to the set outside Manchester. We arrived at some trucks stationed ou...
Read more