Occasionally, during an otherwise impassioned conversation about mental health, social media and the perils of being online while female, Taylor Lorenz and Monica Lewinsky will start laughing. It is usually Lewinsky who lightens the mood, as when Lorenz says: “The biggest mistake of my career was going on MSNBC and trusting a reporter,” to which Lewinsky replies: “Not mine!”, then starts chuckling.
The pair are convening on Zoom with the Guardian for the release of Lorenz’s new book, Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence and Power on the Internet.