Brandon Mendelson

B.J. Mendelson

B.J. Mendelson at SXSWi in March 2013
Born April 25, 1983
Oyster Bay, New York
Pen name B.J. Mendelson
Occupation Comedian, Author and public speaker
Alma mater SUNY at Potsdam;
Alfred State College
University at Albany, SUNY
Genre Nonfiction, Observational comedy, Satire, Sarcasm, Blue Collar
Subject Social media, American Culture, everyday life , atheism, death, sports, human behavior, religion, pop culture, self-depreciation
Years active 2012-Present
Website
bjmendelson.com

Brandon Mendelson (born April 25, 1983)[1] is an American comedian and author. Mendelson has advocated for breast cancer awareness. His book, Social Media Is Bullshit, was published by St. Martin's Press in 2012.[2][3][4]

Career

Advocacy

In 2008, Mendelson established a Twitter account to raise awareness of breast cancer. He was drawn to this issue as both of his grandmothers had cancer.[5] He offered to sell his spot on the Suggested User List to entrepreneur Jason Calacanis in exchange for the $250,000 Calacanis offered Twitter for a spot on the list.[6][7][8] At the same time, he was recognized by CNN, as one of the lesser known individuals featured on Twitter's Suggested User List.[9][10]

Writing

In 2012, Mendelson's book Social Media Is Bullshit was released, inspired by the failure of the breast cancer tour. On the morning that the book was released, he appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box.[11] The book purports to expose flaws in the claims of social media marketers and catalogs the author's interpretation of what actually works online.[12][13][14]

He discusses in the media the myths of social media and its effects on elections and small businesses[3][15] and is known as a practitioner of Radical Honesty.[16][17] The book received a positive review from Kirkus Reviews,[18] The New York Journal of Books, The Toronto Star, and Uproxx while The New Republic criticized it.[19]

Published works


References

  1. ↑ ""Recession may set mood for baby bust". Los Angeles Times. 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  2. ↑ "Is social media "bullshit"?". Q with Jian Ghomeshi. CBC Radio. 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The myth of social media? It won't make you rich, says 'Social Media is Bull****' author". Starting Point. CNN. September 17, 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  4. ↑ Glaser, Mark (2012-09-14). "Mediatwits #56: iPhone 5 Not Insanely Great; Social Media Is B.S.". Mediashift. PBS. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  5. ↑ De La Cruz, Ralph (2009-02-12). "Couple's trip to raise cancer awareness is also a virtual journey". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  6. ↑ Fuggetta, Emily (2009-02-10). "Nonprofit organization raises breast cancer awareness". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  7. ↑ "Hey Twitter, Here's A Way To Call Jason's Bluff And Maybe Fight Breast Cancer". TechCrunch. 2009-03-20. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  8. ↑ Briggs, Bill (2008-11-13). "Digital gold: Turning techno-junk into cash". NBC News. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  9. ↑ Griggs, Brandon (October 26, 2009). "5 Twitter stars you've never heard of". CNN. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  10. ↑ Mar, Humberto (2009-08-28). "An unlikely Twitter star". Times Union. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  11. ↑ "Social Media is Bull.. What?" (Video). CNBC. September 4, 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  12. ↑ "Keen On… B.J. Mendelson: Why Social Media Is Bullshit". TechCrunch. 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  13. ↑ "Brandon Mendelson: full interview". North Country Public Radio. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  14. ↑ Task, Aaron (2012-10-11). "Don’t Believe the Social Media Hype: Author Calls B.S.". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  15. ↑ "Yelp Help: Negative Reviews Can Hurt Small Businesses Part 2". The New OPEN Forum. 2013-06-16. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  16. ↑ Svoboda, Elizabeth (March 1, 2010). "Field Guide to the Truth Teller: I Cannot Tell a Lie". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  17. ↑ "The Art of Lying (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  18. ↑ Holiday, Ryan. "SOCIAL MEDIA IS BULLSHIT by B.J. Mendelson | Kirkus". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  19. ↑ Friedman, Ann (2012-09-24). "The Me Meme: How Social Media Works—And Doesn’t". New Republic. Retrieved 2013-07-22.

External links