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Get Smart (2008)
Get Smart (2008)
2008 | Action, Comedy
6
6.5 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Funny (0 more)
Didn't keep me fully engaged (0 more)
I'm not one for laughing out loud often, but this film made me do just that. However, there were a few moments in the film which didn't engage me and I found myself flicking through social media or even falling asleep (I was extremely tired though). I'd still say it's worth a watch because it is a funny film, with an excellent cast too.
  
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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Unfollow Me in Books

Feb 6, 2020 (Updated Feb 6, 2020)  
Unfollow Me
Unfollow Me
Charlotte Duckworth | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
4
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another tale to warn of the dangers of social media - this time focused on a YouTube vlogger who suddenly deletes all her social media accounts - I mean shock horror what could be more suspicious!?!.

This book really wasn’t for me, I found all the characters irritating and unrelatable. We had Yvonne how spent most of her book uterus gazing which bores me to tears. As someone who doesn’t want kids, I sure do know a lot about fertility treatments and ovulation monitoring as this seems to be a recurring obsession in books at the moment and it’s just not interesting to me. Knew exactly where her storyline was going - sigh.

Then we have single mum Lily and get to hear the “woe is me being a single mum is so hard” bit, which I’m sure it is, but again not interested in the recurring theme. Yvonne and Lily both love to watch vblogger Violet on YouTube who is a mummy blogger and they flip out when she seems to disappear removing all her social media accounts. So that’s the mystery we move towards figuring out but I just don’t really care and I still don’t care once it’s all been underwhelmingly explained by the end.

I’m sure there are plenty who are as interested in these themes as I wasn’t - this book is for you - not me.


Many thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC in which I gave an honest review in return.
  
Goodreads: Book Reviews
Goodreads: Book Reviews
Book, Social Networking
10
8.8 (453 Ratings)
App Rating
Keeps track of your books & dates you read them (3 more)
Allows you to set goals
Links with other social media to see what friends are reading/recommending
Offers book suggestions
I love this app. I didn't realize at first that you could actually use it as more than a book reviewing site. You can add books you have read, books you'd like to read, and books you are currently reading. You can choose the edition of the book you're reading so it keeps an accurate account of how far you've made it through the book. I also really like that it keeps track of the dates you read the book. The app is linked to other social media accounts so you can see what friends are reading or wanting to read and vice versa. Goodreads offers suggestions of what to read next or books that are popular in your favorite genres. Honestly have nothing bad to say about it!
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Eighth Grade (2018) in Movies

Apr 30, 2019 (Updated Apr 30, 2019)  
Eighth Grade (2018)
Eighth Grade (2018)
2018 | Comedy
There's something a little bit ironic, don'cha think, about someone who got his start as a first-wave YouTuber making a film basically criticising the effects of social media on young people's lives, but hey, so it goes. Bo Burnham's feature debut as director is a forensically well-observed and excruciatingly difficult-to-watch comedy-drama about a teenage girl struggling to cope with the demands of modern life.

Very, very impressive performance from Elsie Fisher, who's in virtually every scene, and a witty and thoughtful script (Burnham again). May be of interest to future anthropologists in its detailing of the way that social media exacerbate generation gaps and generally prevent people from communicating with each other; one of several ironies the film points out. Manages to be bleak to the point of depressing for most of its duration but still turns it around for a credibly warm and quite moving conclusion. Very relatable no matter what year you were born in.
  
All The Rage (DI Adam Fawley #4)
All The Rage (DI Adam Fawley #4)
Cara Hunter | 2020 | Crime, Thriller
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fast-paced (1 more)
Clever
Wasted time (3 more)
Long
Unneccessary media use
Unlikeable characters
Unlikeable characters
This had every likelihood of being a great read for me but for some reason I just didn't get into it. I didn't know it was a sequel/part of a series until reading others reviews on here, maybe it doesn't work as a standalone book for me. I felt the first 250 pages were quite boring and drawn out with unnecessary uses of media e.g. maps of where everything was in the town and social media clippings. I found DI Fawley to be unbelievable and dry, I did wonder if the author realised this and manufactured the change in sarge, which is when the pace subsequently picked up. Segments were too short and it was hard to get into the characters. The storyline was clever and well thought out with lots of twists and turns.
  
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ClareR (5589 KP) rated Not Buying It in Books

Dec 19, 2019  
Not Buying It
Not Buying It
Charlotte Henry | 2019 | Essays, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fake news in a post truth era.
Not Buying It describes the ‘post-truth’ era really well, how social media and the media manipulates our opinions, and how politics is becoming a central area where we are seeing the results of this (as well as science). It covers both sides of the Atlantic and Charlotte Henry looks at how ‘fake news’ became a thing, how we were (and are) fed alternative facts, and finally what we can do to better inform ourselves.

It’s NOT a cheery read, but it’s an essential one! Highly recommended, and I enjoyed it very much.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, Unbound and Charlotte Henry for reading along.
  
Searching (2018)
Searching (2018)
2018 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Catfish 2.0
After dealing with the death of his wife from cancer, a father tries to deal with raising his high school daughter only to find out everything with her and her life is not what it seems when she goes missing. He frantically starts combing through her social media accounts and contacting her friends to find out any lead as to her whereabouts.

A local police detective also comes to his aid to follow up on leads and keep the investigation going.

The story didn't follow the "Catfish" formula, only the way the story is told. The movie entirely exists through webcams, social media posts and TV footage and that is it's biggest triumph. Any unique way f telling a story, especially a compelling and inventive one, deserves attention in my book since most movies' formulas sort of run together these days.

As a parent, the film really does make you think about how much do we really know our teenage children? Could they be having relationships without our knowledge or conducting themselves in a way they were not raised?

My wife and I actually talked about this a bit while viewing the film. The entire world of social media can be very scary if you think about it and how much of our lives we have exposed out in cyberspace for others to see and potentially exploit.

I got rid of my Facebook around a year ago and haven't regretted it once.

  
Show all 5 comments.
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Andy K (10821 KP) Apr 6, 2019

Yeah I really liked it.

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Erika (17788 KP) Apr 6, 2019

I loved this movie too, I think it was one of the best last year, next to Widows.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2086 KP) rated #FollowMe for Murder in Books

Apr 15, 2022 (Updated Apr 15, 2022)  
#FollowMe for Murder
#FollowMe for Murder
Sarah E. Burr | 2022 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When Murder is a Trending Topic
Coco Cline is a social media influencer who now works with other to help them master social media for their businesses. Her latest clients are Sean and Olivia Chen, who are hoping to open a store in Coco’s native Central Shores, Delaware. When Coco arrives early for a meeting with them, she finds their assistant, Stacy, dead in a back room. With the police looking at the Chens as suspects, Coco starts looking at Stacy’s life to try to figure out what really happened. Can she solve the case and still help her clients open their store?

This book got off to a slow start, thanks partially to a data dump first chapter that gave us lots of background on Coco. After that, it began to build, and by the end, I was hooked, wanting to see how Coco would piece everything together. The clues she gathered along the way helped make the ending logical. I absolutely loved the characters. Everyone was strong, and I can’t wait to hang out with Coco and her friends again. I am curious where Coco’s relationship with her boyfriend is going – I feel like they both have some maturing to do. I love the way that the internet and social media were used in the story without overwhelming it. I even laughed at how it was included a time or two. I will be following this series to see what happens to Coco next.
  
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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Lies in Books

Sep 19, 2018  
Lies
Lies
T.M. Logan | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
9
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lies, indeed!
This story is about what happens when one moment, one choice, leads Joe Lynch into a tangled web of lies and deceit from which there seems no escape. It was well-written and well-paced, and kept me guessing until the very end. Technology & social media play a very large part in the "gaslighting," if you will, which was a smart play by the author.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
  
One In A Million
One In A Million
Lindsey Kelk | 2020 | Romance
4
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contemporary romance in a world of social media. One in a Million is a nice addition to a library, for those of you who enjoy this genre.

Annie is working hard to get her own marketing business moving. She doesn't have time for anything else, especially love. And now that her ex-boyfriend has proposed to someone else after 6 months, she has to pretend that it doesn't mean anything to her.

She makes a risky bet to turn a random person internet famous in a month. It seems like an easy thing to do, but when it turns out that this random person is one of those that want nothing to do with social media, this bet turns out to be mission impossible. Not to mention that this person is also brutally honest and savagely rude.

The plot was predictable and flat. I knew what was going to happen and the ending was too obvious and without any major twists.

Knowing the subject of this book, I was expecting at least some character development from both main characters:
* The man who never uses social media realizes that online presence is extremely important in today's world, especially if you are trying to sell a book and promote what you are doing.
* The woman who is addicted to social media realizes that aside from the online world, she needs to focus on the real-life experiences and friendships.

The realizations from both sides never really happened. The characters mentioned and discussed this, but the never changed their actions or behavior, which I found very disappointing.

One in a Million is a wonderful chill book, one of those books you can read by the pool or on the beach. It is the perfect book to cheer you up, but it didn't seem to have any real value to it, and for me it was a predictable and a boring experience.

If this genre is something that you usually read and enjoy - please pick it up, you are probably going to enjoy it! This book just wasn't for me, that's all.