A former Weymouth student is warning people about their social media habits.
Geo Ellen James, 31, previously worked in social media, including working on influencer campaigns for popular names such as L'Oréal, EA Games and Charlotte Tilbury.
Mum-of-two Geo hopes to use her experience in the industry to shed a new informative light on how social media has affected people's relationships with themselves and other people.
Her debut book, entitled Click Me Baby One More Time, aims to shed light on the detrimental impacts of social media across different generations.
She said: “My book offers a deep dive into the impact that our relationship with digital media has on every facet of our lives, from our self-esteem, relationships with other people, even through to our politics and culture. It encompasses every single element of our lives.
“I wrote it because I worked in the industry and have got some guilt because I was in part responsible for choices which have directly impacted young people. I was in charge of what the algorithms showed us such as what was trending and what to buy etc.
"When I tried to read more about these issues, I could only find books by academics and not by people from the industry.
“The book sheds light on the industry from a perspective of someone with inside knowledge. It encourages people to question their digital media use and relationship with social media and their phones."
Geo cites social media as a major factor self-esteem and mental health issues especially for young people.
She adds: "Many issues like eating disorders are often linked to what we see on social media. There are dangers with data protection safety as there are photos of children online which may be accessible to everybody.
“All kids have access to screens. We can’t stop that. But we can make sure parents are armed with the knowledge to protect them and teach them how to be digitally safe.”
This book is the debut novel for Geo who currently lives in Hampshire with her husband and two young sons.
She originally grew up in Weymouth, studying at Budmouth Academy, which lay the foundations for her pursuing a media-based career.
"I've always loved writing and had an amazing English teacher who really encouraged me to pursue it. I did media studies in GCSE and A Level and got good grades which propelled me into the industry.
“It was one of the teachers, Andy Blackwood, who really pushed me to pursue a career in media so I ended up doing a media degree in Southampton because of that push."
Click Me Baby One More Time is available to buy as a Kindle e-book or paperback on Amazon.
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