In 2016, a book was written by Jarett Kobek. The book, titled I Hate the Internet looks into social problems and the use of the internet to shape our everyday lives. The book follows the fictional character, Adeline on her daily journey of being a comic book artist. The book also looks into the situation she gets herself into when she makes the “one unforgivable mistake of the early Twenty-First Century”. The story is based around this mistake and other social problems that our society has made with the advancement of technology.
But why should you read this book? By reading this book you are able to go on a journey. A journey through society in the eyes of someone who made a mistake and those around her. Yet how does society treat her? To be able to do this, is incredibly difficult in our society because we are all self centered and as we learn (from the book) technology and the internet are at the heart of the social problems. As I stated earlier, I Hate the Internet incorporates ideas that our society have pushed away rejecting them. For example on page 10, “An entire social order was built around the inability to see what was right in front of, and on, their faces”. As you immerse yourself in the story, different social problems emerge and you start to gain a better sense of the problems Kobek saw not only in one city but across the United States and beyond. He saw a future that was not as pretty as the present.
This book will open your eyes and by doing so, you will experience a new view on the use of technology and how you live your life. This a must read for teenagers through adults. I Hate the Internet is definitely a must read in 2020!
Literature & the Internet 