Who Are You Following Book Review

I have a love and hate relationship with social media. I love that it keeps us in the loop and updated with not just our family but with our friends as well. I love the feeling of connectedness it gives but does not like the false feeling of connection it can give. Primarily, twelve years ago...It took me a while to post my first Facebook status. I found it weird to share what my thoughts were and what was I doing. Sharing pictures was so uncomfortable as I imagine how many people behind their screens will be judging my face. But eventually, I was hooked not just with the games it offered (hello Farmville).but with everything that going on with other people's lives on my friends list.

But can we talk about Farmville again? I couldn't help but laugh at myself now as I recall how I call my husband to harvest for me. Like my life depends on my harvest and how beautiful and organized y farm is. Sad..I know! But back then I enjoyed it and it was addicting. Not long after, I found myself getting angry with the post updates I read. I am embarrassed to admit but I am guilty of responding to an unkind comment that turned into word wars. It was negative and energy-draining. Then, Instagram came along. I was in awe of how creative some people are with their photos! I do know that when you are an influencer, creativity is a prerequisite. Gaining a huge following is a must for some. Because of all the good reels and photos we see, we do not see the real story behind a person's life. if we are not careful, we can create a false narrative about a person or create an unhealthy view of ourselves.

On a good note., social media is not the enemy. It is how we use it and how we let it influence our lives. Some of the most inspiring human beings that I follow create useful, motivational, and life-giving posts on Instagram and Facebook. Social media can teach us a whole lot about ourselves.

Additionally. marketing has evolved ten folds. You do not have to be a celebrity on TV or movies to be able to promote a product. I am blessed to be able to promote products, books, and activities that I truly believe in and support my family values. Social media can open streams of income. I love following people on Instagram that share recipes, hacks, and homemaking tips that inspire me. Also, I love that social media can be a source of crowdfunding or crowd movement. When people get together and unite for a good cause.

Social media whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest can be influential to our lives. Speaking of influential, I am thrilled to review, Who are you Following?, Pursuing Jesus in a Social Media Obsessed World by Sadie Robertson Huff. I have not read any of her books so I was excited to be able to review and promote a book that I strongly feel about- knowing who's influencing us, being careful about what influences us, and establishing the relationship with Jesus.

I love how vulnerable Sadie is in this book. I thought it was brave to admit how social media had affected her mentally and spiritually given her celebrity status. We often had this version of celebrities in our heads that they have everything in life. That all is good. Why? because we only see the highlight reels of their lives. And if a celebrity dared to be true to herself, the whole world of social media will chime in. This rings true for everybody as well. We tend to share our highlight reel, see other people highlight reel while we fail to see the background or the real reel.

In a nutshell, the book encourages you to carefully choose who is influencing you. We follow celebrities, influencers, or even just regular people without knowing what kind of influence they have on us. How often did we purchase an item or tried something out because we have seen it from a post? I am very much guilty of being influenced. As a blogger, we have the position to also influence our readers...to try out the recipes I make or purchase a book that I was paid to review. That is why it is very important to be honest and to choose what kind of influence I want to lead my readers into. Carefully choosing a product to promote, aligning it with my faith and values is just one of them. This is what drove me to this book, Who are you Following? She is not only leading her followers and readers to carefully examine their social media habits but she also encourages us to follow Jesus. Our Jesus Christ who died for our sins and did all the work so we can be saved. The One who constantly pursues us. The King of Peace who can give us true joy and lead us to eternal life.

Sadie Robertson Huff talked about our hunger for quick fame, the thrills of getting likes, the energy it takes away from us, the time wasted, and the true relationships we fail to foster. I love that she uses her personal stories plus biblical truths and stories are beautifully sewn into this book. She shares bible stories that relate to a specific issue. She is not discouraging readers to just quit altogether. She wants to motivate you to choose Jesus as the ultimate influencer in your life. Our Jesus who loves us without us having to work so hard to win that love. One of the things she also tackled in this book is the way we handle differences. I think all of us are aware of how other people can be so vicious and just downright mean when leaving comments on an Instagram or Facebook post. We get so riled up. We get so eager to give people a piece of our mind and sadly, our hurtful opinions. Throughout the book, there are guided reflection questions that will allow you to dig deeper into analyzing who is influencing us and what are we allowing in our lives to be influenced. There is a Follower Assessment at the end of the book when you are ready to assess and evaluate your social media habits.

Furthermore, if you are committed to changing this area of your life, I highly recommend that you also get the Who are you following? Guided Journal. If you are like me who loves journaling, writing down my thoughts and a somewhat plan to revive an area of my life helps me a lot. Sometimes sitting down to reflect and write our thoughts provides intentionalilty. This journal also reveals her vulnerability and it is beautiful. You wouldn't want to take a piece of advice from a person who is not honest with you right? The journal has guided questions as well as her insights and inspirational thoughts on the complexities of the social media world. Lastly, this interactive journal will help you build a relationship with Jesus, know your purpose as well as your worth, and get a good understanding of God's love.