HOW TO BE A WOMAN ONLINE

A call to action for women who have experienced online abuse.

An expert on disinformation and democratization, Jankowicz is currently a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Kennan Institute studying the intersection of freedom and technology in Eastern Europe. She shares details of online mistreatment—ranging from critiques of appearance to threats of physical violence—that she and other women engaged in social discourse endure. “Watching these attacks be ignored as ‘the cost of doing business’ in an age where an online presence is all-but-required is enraging,” she writes. Jankowicz acknowledges that while her approach is not foolproof, she “can teach you the practical strategies….They will not insulate you from abuse—to some degree, the abuse is a signal you’re doing something right—but they’ll keep you safer.” Comprised of five chapters—with titles such as “Community: Cultivating a Circle of Solidarity” and “Tenacity: Speaking Up and Fighting Back”—the body of the work is roughly 80 pages, including a blank page at the end of each chapter. In many ways, this feels more like a long-form blog post than a book, and the text contains too much repetition. In the first chapter, for instance, Jankowicz uses the term password managermore than 15 times: “Use a password manager,” “Set up password manager,” and, later, on the same page, “Use password manager.” While her advice is inarguably sensible, she offers little information beyond what is already freely available. “Amplify other women,” she suggests. Several recommendations require connections and/or resources that some readers may not have—e.g., “Get a therapist”; “Often the best way to get action on content that is clearly violating a platform’s terms of service is to get it in front of a human as quickly as possible.” Still, the author’s forthright, sometimes blisteringly witty tone makes for smart company.

A successful codification of practical, occasionally fiery methods of protection and means of attack.