Jacking Out: A Journal of a Year Spent Offline

by Aron Lee

At the end of 2019, Aron Lee decided to live 2020 without access to the Internet. He would interact with the world in what we have already come to think of as the "old-fashioned" taking calls and texting on a flip phone, paying bills by cheque (and receiving them by snail mail), and writing actual pen-on-paper letters to friends and family, all the while continuing his doctoral work at McGill University. Along the way he discovered a good deal about the internet, about our modern wired (and wireless) world, and about himself. This is his story.

"A modest experiment, beautifully chronicled." --- Darin Barney, Grierson Chair in Communication Studies, McGill University

"Lee's memoir challenges readers' beliefs about the power of connection (and disconnection), as well as the very nature of what it means to live a life 'online.'" --- Roopika Risam, Director of the Digital Ethnic Futures Consortium, Dartmouth College

"Jacking Out is a queer and quirky account of the queer and difficult year that was 2020." --- Wendy Oberlander, Artist, Educator, Lesbian Mom

382 pages, Paperback

Published July 6, 2023

Reviews

[Jesse Bondar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aron Lee's 'Jacking Out' is a captivating memoir chronicling his year-long journey of living without the Internet in 2020. The narrative skillfully captures the essence of this experiment, offering readers a fresh perspective on the power of connection, disconnection, and what it truly means to live 'online.' It's a thought-provoking, queer, and quirky account of a tumultuous year.

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read. Illuminating both the wired world we live in, and the world of queer community.
(If you use the Internet you need to read this book!!😊)

[Penelope · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps the dullest book I’ve ever read. I refuse to believe the other reviewers read the whole book and have no connection to Lee (Rosenberg). Most of the book is not even about the internet but activism, donating sperm, hanging out with friends, then petty fallings out with said friends. I enjoyed the few internet focused parts and how the internet affects different communities but not the rest. I feel that if he had just focused on this and his no internet experience it could have been a very influential book but I’d be surprised if anyone else finishes it as it is. I don’t know why he thought his life was interesting enough to need a public day by day record.

I forced myself to finish as I wanted to see the ways he handed different situations, but besides dialling into Zoom classes on his flip phone, there was nothing you won’t find elsewhere. Everything is solved by writing letters or phone calls or having someone else do it. Internet addiction isn’t really discussed until the last 30 pages or so and even then it’s just “I spent too long on Twitter again”. There’s no final reflections or takeaways. I don’t know who is supposed to benefit from this book.

I was shocked to discover the author has an English degree because the writing has the energy of a grocery list. Most people mentioned were hard to tell apart. However, he loves double exclamation marks and variations on the word “said” so that’s something.

The author is very woke and involved in a wide range of issues and goes to a lot of protests which is great but there were times where he details causes, then casually mentions he watched porn (or riffled through someone else’s porn collection without permission) or used a “union busting” food app or ate meat or such like. I understand that we can’t all be perfect, but it just seemed jarring as if he puts his own daily life pleasures above his supposed values of anti-exploitation. He is a bit sexist and dismissive of feminist issues too. He’s often a jerk and regularly belittles others for struggling with their internet use which makes me feel the sole purpose of the book was to stroke his own ego and not to actually be helpful to anyone. He repeatedly tells people to avoid Amazon, but my copy (bought used) was printed by Amazon lol.

If you want an insightful book with a personal account of reducing internet usage, I recommend “How to Quit Reddit” instead.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Year Offline (in 2020!) and the Digital Divide - A Provocative, Transformative Read

What are the environmental impacts of searching on Google, being on Facebook or checking your email? Aron Lee's year offline is depicted through captivating personal journal reflections spanning from topics of:
- technological dependence
- socioeconomic and digital inequalities
- privacy and data ownership
- settler-colonial responsibilities
- confronting anti-Blackness
- labour activism
- queering families
- interconnectedness
- community and identity

This book is honest, critical and provocative, and will have you questioning how you can navigate the online and offline worlds more responsibly and justly.

[Samuel Stannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aron Lee's "A Year Unplugged" is a timely introspection into our digital age's overwhelming omnipresence. A compelling read that resonates in our screen-saturated times.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read chronicling a year off line and the