Bad Influence: How the Internet Hijacked our Health is shortlisted for the 2026 Royal Society Science Book Prize, supported by the Trivedi Family Foundation.
About the book
Need to focus? Want to lose weight? Build muscle? Get pregnant? Advice is just a click away.With long waits for treatment and fewer face‑to‑face GP appointments, influencers have stepped into the breach. From doctors promoting untested therapies to celebrities selling solutions, these self-styled experts radiate wellness and guarantee results.
Exploring the transformation of a healthcare system driven by online trends, Dr Deborah Cohen reveals the truth behind Ozempic influencers, AI-powered diagnoses, ‘preventative’ screening and Instagram’s favourite wearable tech.
Bad Influence is about the commodification of health in an age of anxiety and why we can no longer distinguish medicine from marketing.
About the author
Dr Deborah Cohen is an award-winning broadcaster, journalist and editor, who has worked across mainstream and academic print, digital, TV and radio.
Previously Science Editor for ITV News and Health Correspondent for BBC Newsnight, leading their COVID-19 coverage, she established the investigations unit at the BMJ, one of the world-leading medical and health policy journals.
