In Kill Reply All: A Modern Guide to Online Etiquette, from Social Media to Work to Love, Victoria Turk navigates the uncharted terrain of digital social manners, explaining how online behavior can affect one's real-life relationships. Along with colorful commentary on the quirks of modern Internet culture, Turk offers advice in four main areas: the workplace, friendships, the art of romance and social media communities. Smartphone etiquette receives special attention, with guidelines for sexting, appropriate times to send nude photos and the secret vocabulary of emojis.
Turk is features editor at Wired U.K. and a journalist focused on the cultural impact of modern technology; she has a flair for humorous writing and her anecdotes are as entertaining as they are constructive. There is a charming British tilt to Turk's advice, including a brief section entitled "How do you address an email to the Queen?" The title of Kill Reply All refers to an online habit that, in her opinion, demonstrates a complete lack of online decorum: the overuse of the "reply all" feature in response to large group e-mails, creating an unwieldy e-mail thread. In an effort to rein in the out-of-control inbox, Turk suggests that e-mail should be used only as a last resort, especially in the workplace. She is a disciple of the Inbox Zero school of thought, which advocates a Marie Kondo-style of inbox cleanup.
Kill Reply All will speak to those who grew up in the analog era but who have, for better or worse, wholly embraced the technology revolution. It picks up where etiquette experts like Emily Post left off, providing a necessary counterpoint to the wild west nature of the smartphone-dominated digital age. --Shahina Piyarali, writer and reviewer