Thanks to Librarything for the ARC.

I highly recommend Over The Influence to women and young girls who frequent social media. For the past few years, I have wrestled with the idea of whether or not I truly enjoy social media in the day and age of influencer marketing and culture and toxic masculinity. While I do enjoy certain aspects of social media, I find it extremely hateful, depressing and insincere. It's like the author of Over the Influence read my mind, and then some. Kara Alaimo does a fantastic job of highlighting the the toxic infrastructure of the world wide web and why it is so harmful women, especially young women, with facts and sources to back up her claims. Not only did she give me many things to think about in my own relationship with social media that I had not thought about before but she also gives thoughtful insight on how to combat all the issues she brings up to change social media, and ourselves, for the better. This is a very important must read, in my opinion. ( )

Over the Influence -- as in, getting over the influence of social media-- is an accessible synthesis of the impacts social media has had and is having in our American/Western culture, particularly for women and girls and marginalized communities. Alaimo offers up helpful suggestions for "what we can do" at the end of each chapter, and provides specific tips for parenting, guiding young users, and protecting users--as best as one can -- from abuse. She not only collects and synthesizes information and data, but she has also talked with people who have experienced the toxicity and dangerous social currents trending online and on the street. Their stories are heartbreaking and serve as a call to action. Her chapter on the male-dominated and masculine-coded tech industry is helpful background for understanding why many platforms and tech companies are the way they are in design, algorithm, and business model. She makes a strong case that these systems marketed as “community” actually work against us and are intended to because disunity drives profits. The helpful action summary, resources, index, and references provide useful tools and other guides. Alaimo's writing is swift and urgent, no sugar coating or letting up on getting her message out; I could take it in a chapter at a time. This was not bedtime reading - the facts stir up the heart and demand attention, time, and response. ( )

I knew social media got bad vibes for being bad for mental health, but Over the Influence took this to a whole new level. In Over the influence Alaimo explains how social media has been built to benefit men, and how this has devastating consequences. Using research and interviews Alaimo takes readers through a journey of how women are not safe using social media from dating apps to Facebook. I appreciate that she has action steps at the end of each chapter so it doesn't feel all doom and gloom. Her main takeaway- it is up to women to protect ourselves from the toxic media environment. I would recommend this book for anyone who uses social media in its various forms. I did find there to be some redundancies in some of the stories. For exmaple, the one about the teenager stripping while her mother was in the room came up in two different chapters. Also one of the chapters mentioned X (formally known as Twitter) a lot. I have a feeling this needs to be mentioned, but I found it to be a bit distracting, as it seemed to show up every other line. I appreciate that this book is the world. I hope that more people read it to keep themselves and others safe in this largely uncontrolled digital world we live in. ( )

This book is fantastic. It pulls together so many different threads of research about how women are being impacted by social media and the internet more broadly. While the book doesn't introduce any truly groundbreaking new research, the way it weaves all of these impacts together into a coherent narrative is very valuable. I could easily see using this as a book for a university class. It's also extremely accessible and not overly technical, which is a huge benefit. Lastly, it gives very practical advice, and steps that can be taken by individuals. This really stood out to be, because often the advice that's given in books like this one are impractical or theoretical. This book has real things you can start doing today. Check this one out! ( )

The topic of social media and its impact on our lives is quite significant, especially in this day and age. The book brings to attention the negative influence it can have on women, highlighting the ways in which we are impacted. While I agree with the book's premise, some parts of it seem to suggest that women are more vulnerable to social media attacks than men, which is debatable. However, the book does make an important contribution in bringing attention to this issue, which is often overlooked. It is crucial for us to recognize the potential dangers of social media and take steps to mitigate its negative effects on our lives. Overall, the book provides a valuable perspective on this important topic. ( )