Over the Influence

Kara Alaimo, Ph.D. is a communication professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She writes frequently for CNN Opinion about the social impact of social media and issues affecting women. A former communicator at the United Nations and in the Obama administration, she lives in New Jersey with her family. For more information, visit karaalaimo.com and follow her @karaalaimo.

"In Over the Influence, communication professor and CNN Opinion contributor Kara Alaimo reveals how social media is affecting every aspect of the lives of women and girls--from our relationships and our parenting to our physical and mental well-being. Over the Influence is a book about what it means to live in the world social media has wrought--whether you're constantly connected or have deleted your accounts forever. Alaimo shows why you're likely to get fewer followers if you're a woman. She explains how fake news is crafted to prey on women's vulnerabilities. She reveals why so much of the content we find in our feeds is specifically designed to hold us back. And she explains how social media has made the offline world an uglier place for women. But we can change this. Alaimo offers up brilliant advice for how to get over the influence--how to handle our daughters' use of social media, use dating apps to find the partners we're looking for, use social networks to bolster our careers, and protect ourselves from sextortionists, catfishers, and trolls. She also explains what we need to demand from lawmakers and tech companies. Over the Influence calls on women to recognize and call out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) sexism and misogyny we find online, reject misinformation that is targeted to us because of our gender, and use our platforms to empower ourselves and other women."--Publisher description.

Author’s Note Introduction Chapter 1: Girl Meets Instagram Chapter 2: The Face in the Filter Chapter 3: Social Media and Women’s “Perpetual State of Wrongness” Chapter 4: Plenty of Catfish Chapter 5: Sex Crimes and Murder in the Time of Social Media Chapter 6: Digital Housewives Chapter 7: Misinformation for Mommies Chapter 8: How Anti-Vaxxers Target Women Chapter 9: The Flounce Chapter 10: Meta Misogyny Chapter 11: The #Feminist Fallacy Appendix: How to Be Savvy On Social Media Resources Notes/References Acknowledgments Index