Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

The robots are coming for all of us. Companies like Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, are using books to train their AI machines without asking for permission. Jo did a search on The Atlantic's database of books that AI is using to train its robots to steal our livelihoods and found FIVE of her titles on there. We are now clearly living in the Matrix. It begs the question of what else are these companies hiding and what else could they be stealing from us. We have to care about how Meta uses author's works because it is a reflection of how little they respect anyone's words, thoughts or images. Jo talks to fellow author and podcaster Emma Gray of Love to See It (and the author of A Girl's Guide to Joining the Resistance) about why the entire publishing world is going bananas about this today.Listen to Emma's podcast Love to See It herehttps://www.emmarosegray.com/podcastBuy her book A Girl's Guide to Joining the Resistance.https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Guide-Joining-Resistance-Feminist/dp/0062748084And you can read The Atlantic story about the database here.https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/09/books3-database-generative-ai-training-copyright-infringement/675363/And you know you can always buy The Sicilian Inheritance if you feel so inclined.https://www.bluebirdbookstop.com/product-page/pre-order-the-sicilian-inheritance-by-jo-piazza Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast discusses the rise of Munchausen by Proxy on social media, including cases of caregivers pretending their children are ill for attention and fundraising. They explore the risks of sharing pictures of sick kids online and the impact of social media on deceptive behavior. The episode also looks at the trend of parents becoming influencers through their children's illnesses and discusses the infamous Bell Gibson case. The hosts also mention the availability of previous podcast seasons and potential future topics.

In this podcast, the speakers discuss the growing trend of using Ozempic for weight loss and its impact on society. They explore the development of the drug, the influence of celebrities' weight loss journeys, the pressure of societal beauty standards, and the risks of using Ozempic without proper supervision.

Well we just had too much to say about Ballerina Farm to keep it to one episode. Her brand has become a mini empire and I look at it a little like Ree Drummond meets Laura Ingalls Wilder meets the personality of Emily in Paris. Prairie life nostalgia is currently big business and that's why I had to call our very own Wilder/Prairie Life expert Glynnis MacNicol to figure out why so many people have such strong feelings about this woman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Buy Sara's book y'all. MOMFLUENCED is an incredible read. You can also subscribe to her substack here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quick update on the Ruby Franke story wherein everyone throws everyone else under the bus. Kevin Franke says he and Ruby were separated! He has been in "a fog" for the past year. Her sisters call her a narcisscist who should be put away forever and her sister-in-law just says Ruby IS NOT her cup of tea. My takeaway? Everyone in this story is awful in their own special awful way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thank you to Jessica Grose for joining me on today's adventure. BUY HER BOOK. She is a national treasure. Screaming on the Inside was just released in paperback.We used a very brief clip from ABC News. Their coverage of this story is impeccable. You can read more here.Transcripts of this episode are available to paid subscribers of my Substack, Over the Influence.I mentioned my new book, The Sicilian Inheritance. It is available for pre-order now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laura Ingalls Wilder probably couldn’t have imagined the multi-million dollar media empire that would emerge from her books. From the television show to prairie chic dresses to dolls to tin cups bearing her name, Laura is a brand, a business and, dare we say it, an influencer. Her stories have spawned industries large and small, both directly and indirectly for nearly a century. In this very special episode from the new podcast, Wilder, Jo discovers how the fantasy of a simple prairie life got sold to millions around the world.Go deeper: Stay at the Prairie House Manor in De Smet, SDThe Queen’s Treasures Melissa Gilbert’s Modern Prairie Stephanie McNeal on the Nap DressSara Petersen’s MomfluencedFollow us for behind the scenes content! @WilderPodcast on TikTok@Wilder_Podcast on InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

But it is coming. We decided that maybe Jo's birthday isn't the most impactful day for women to shut down the Internet and truth be told we also got cold feet since we've seen a lot of failed internet strikes this summer. But don't worry, we picked a new day for all of us to shut it the f*ck down. In the meantime Jo did a guest appearance on Bridget Todd's podcast "There Are No Girls on the Internet" talking about a strange corner of the Instagram influencer world dedicated to #tradwives, women who channel the false nostalgia of the fifties in order to promote the patriarchy and keep women in a dark and subservient place.Stay tuned at the end of the episode when we announce the actual Women's Day Off the Internet. It's a good one.And happy birthday to Jo!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The social media influencer has officially replaced the plucky girl journalist as the heroine of choice in women's fiction. The latest and most hilarious example of this is Jenny Mollen's new novel City of Likes, a wickedly funny story about a woman just like us who gets sucked into the maddening web of a mom influencer. Jo got to hop on Jenny's podcast "Third Wheel" this week to chat all about influencers, female friendship, the attention economy and Mormon momfluencers soft swinging with each others husbands. It's everything you want to listen to while you ignore your kids this weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices