Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extremely Online | 2023 | Taylor Lorenz | Buy |
Extremely Online (2023) traces the rise of internet creators from the early days of blogging through the TikTok era. Lorenz draws on her years covering the space as a journalist to tell the story of how online culture went from a fringe activity to the center of media and commerce.
The book covers roughly two decades of internet history, from early YouTube stars and Vine celebrities to the modern influencer economy. Lorenz interviewed dozens of creators and industry figures for the project. She reported on the internet beat at The Atlantic and The Washington Post before writing the book, which gives her an insider perspective on how platforms shaped careers and culture.
Readers interested in media history, technology, or the business of social media will find Extremely Online to be a detailed account of a period that moved fast and left a lot of people behind. It reads less like a policy argument and more like a history of personalities, platforms, and the money that connected them.