BRIAN BOXER WACHLER, MD

Is anyone safe from succumbing to a social media addiction? In INFLUENCED: The Impact of Social Media on Our Perception(Rowman and Littlefield; November 1, 2022; ISBN-13: 9781538164198; $27.95 Hardcover), Brian Boxer Wachler, MD, takes on that thorny question. A verified influencer on all social media platforms and known as “Dr. Brian” for his fun videos dispelling health myths and lies, Dr. Boxer Wachler dipped his toe into TikTok during the COVID shutdowns at the urging of his twin teenage daughters. At first, he got a kick out of the ego boost and dopamine rush. But soon, he was in way over his head. “My daughters had innocently created a TikTok Frankenstein,” he confesses. “I was out of control, subsumed by my number of views, likes, shares, and followers.” Ultimately, his daughters and wife felt compelled to conduct a TikTok intervention after he amassed millions of followers. 

“Being an influencer,” attests Dr. Boxer Wachler, “has the potential to be addictive and destructive. I am not alone with my predicament. What I experienced seems to be the norm, rather than the exception—and yet there does not exist a manual for influencers, followers, and users on how to prevent this addiction or how to cope with it as it gets out of hand.” He wrote INFLUENCED partly to fill that void.  

Purchase the book here https://amzn.to/3VQjBm8