By R.G. Belsky
The explosion in popularity of “social influencers” in today’s media turns deadly in Jo Piazza’s twisty, timely new thriller Everyone Is Lying To You. And who better to write this story than Piazza, who is not only a journalist and a novelist, but also hosts her own popular podcast on the topic called Under the Influence?
“I started Under the Influence five years ago when I had a baby who wouldn’t sleep. I was up all night, rocking her and scrolling Instagram because it was the only thing I could do with one hand. My feed was full of mom influencers. Their lives looked perfect, and they were always trying to sell me something.
“That’s when I got the idea for the podcast. I wanted to dig into this world of influencing
and understand what was really going on. It didn’t take long to realize that everyone was selling something. Everyone was lying to you in some way about what their life actually looked like. It was all a carefully crafted illusion, designed to make you feel bad about your own life, so you’d spend money trying to fix it.”
This is the world Piazza brings to life in Everyone Is Lying To You, which centers two women: Rebecca, a wildly popular “momfluencer” whose picture-perfect online life is hiding some very dark secrets, and Lizzie, a journalist trying to uncover the truth.
“When tragedy strikes Rebecca’s seemingly idyllic family (her husband is murdered), Lizzie is assigned to cover the story—and quickly realizes that nothing about Rebecca’s life adds up,” Piazza says.
“It’s a story about truth, lies, and the dangerous power of the stories we tell ourselves—and the world. I’ve always been struck by the gap between what we see online and what’s really happening behind the scenes. I wanted to explore what happens when that gap becomes a chasm, when the lies we tell online start to unravel in real life.
“And, honestly, I just love a good, juicy murder mystery!”
For those not familiar with the super-popular online “influencers,” like the fictional Rebecca, we asked Piazza about their role in social media today and the incredible impact that they can have.
“Influencers like Rebecca are the new celebrities. They shape trends, sell products, and, for better or worse, set the standards for what “success” and “happiness” look like. Their impact is enormous, and they can make or break brands, sway public opinion, and even affect elections. The truth is a mom influencer probably has more power to sell you something today than Jennifer Aniston does.”
Are any of the characters or incidents in the book inspired by real life influencers Piazza has encountered? “Let’s just say I’ve met a lot of Rebeccas over the years! The incidents in the book are fictional, but the emotions and dynamics are very real.”
