Photo Source: Prizeo
On YouTube, Justine Ezarik seems larger than life. She’s bubbly, animated and enthusiastic. On paper, Justine seems brilliant. She managed to earn a living by broadcasting her daily life and amass a social media following so big that brands couldn’t help but take notice. Her work has paid off and now she has a book called I, Justine: An Analog Memoir.
“I have been lucky enough to earn a living doing exactly what I love,” she writes in her introduction. “I hope that, whatever it is that you love, you never let anyone make you feel weird about it. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, to write or sing or draw or play video games or dance like a crazy person in an Apple Store. Do what makes you happy. It’s always worked for me. And who knows? You might even build a career out of it.”
Photo Source: The New Potato
In the book, Justine comes across as an intelligent geek whose obsession with the web led her to pursue a career in graphic design and video production. Justine spent her childhood reformatting hard drives so she could use trial versions of Photoshop and Dreamweaver. When her mother encouraged her to play outside, she insisted on staying indoors to play Nintendo. The likeable computer nerd was surrounded by likeminded friends in high school and voted homecoming queen!
She has successfully found a way to make money by filming herself being goofy with friends, but her financial situation was not always so cushy. When money was tight and her career was taking off, Justine travelled around the United States on a limited budget. In one case, when she was not reimbursed for accommodations, she stayed up all night sitting in Starbucks instead of spending money on a hotel. She certainly has persevered and she’s met a lot of interesting people along the way.
Justine identifies the drawbacks of becoming an Internet sensation, as she has encountered several pranksters and trolls. Reading about her experiences makes me feel grateful that I can sit at my computer writing blog posts without worrying that someone will call the police or send me threats.
The book was easy to read and now I have a solid grasp on her perspective of the tech scene and fame. That said, it’s irritating when Justine inserts hashtags in the middle of paragraphs. There is a time and place for hashtags, but a memoir isn’t appropriate. Now that she’s a published author, I can only imagine what opportunities are coming her way next. Justine really knows what’s going on in the online space and the book confirms why she is one to watch.
Disclosure: Simon and Schuster sent me an advance copy of the book to review.