Logging Off: The Human Cost of Our Digital World

by Adele Zeynep Walton

We live in a digital world. In the 30 years since we've been online, we've created connections, crossed boundaries and discovered new worlds. We have done things generations before us could never have imagined.

But at what cost?

Growing up as a Gen Z, Adele spent endless hours as a teenager on social media, shaping her view of herself and the world. As a freelance journalist, she has used her social media platforms and digital technology to develop a career in an unfamiliar and competitive industry, benefitting from the opportunities that these spaces can offer. But after losing her sister to online harms, she realised that our current digital world is failing us.

We are an anxious and discontent generation. Our lived realities and our online vulnerabilities are inextricably linked, and this means big business for social media tycoons who want us to stay scrolling at any cost. As Big Tech barons make their billions, capitalising on our emotions, instincts, insecurities and desires, everyday people are losing out.

From workers being fired by algorithms, to online forums dedicated to revenge porn and encouraging suicide, to censorship of marginalised voices and the turbulent impacts of AI, Logging Off reveals that our digital world is currently fuelling crises that only empathy, agency and humanity can resolve. This book is a call for a radical reclamation of our digital world, for a more humane future that empowers us all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology

288 pages, Hardcover

Published June 5, 2025

Reviews

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book feels very necessary in today’s overwhelming social media landscape, I think it should be taught in schools. I found Adele’s approach to reducing screen time and fighting for safer algorithms really refreshing as she suggests realistic ways forward using technology in a way that helps us rather than taking over our lives. Despite it being a very complex topic, it is thoroughly researched and written in a way that is accessible and faces the harm that has already been caused/the potential for future harm whilst remaining hopeful for the future :) a heavy read but very important

[Triin · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, Logging Off is more than just a book. It's a serious reality check, it's an engagingly educational masterpiece, and an inclusive invitation to a community that believes a kinder world is possible. It's a call to action.

It's not a light read but it's so well and accessibly written it's the quickest I've finished a book in years. I found that within those pages there was so much helpful space created to feel all the emotions. Read it with care, read with love, read with sadness for the stark realities, and importantly - read with hope for the future. Walton's personal story is one no one should ever go through. To channel one's grief to an empowering call to action is no small feat. Logging Off does a magnificent job lifting the weight of the guilt and shame of individual responsibility that often comes with living a life online. It's so refreshing and so needed if we want to change our quickly (often so subconsciously) deteriorating relationships with our devices in hand. Instead, it empowers the reader and lifts us higher than the algorithms. It reminds us of the power of collective action and helps take the necessary steps forward, both for ourselves and for the future generations to come.

A very, very important read. I've gifted this to my younger sister and parents.

[zafira · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest in this book is due to my goal to decrease my social media presence in the next few years. The need for privacy increases year after year (and I’m not old, lol), and at the moment I’m in the headspace that wants to consume information aligned with my goal.
From my understanding, the main focus of this book is online safety. Unfortunately, Adele lost her sister. It’s a complex issue, but I understood that the non existing online safety had a lot to do with her suicide. In this way, Adele has been appealing for more online safety.
To be honest, I wasn’t aware that there were forums that incentive or push people to commit suicide. Forums that use and abuse of the emotions of people that already are in a vulnerable position. Thank you Adele for educating me on this topic.

Reading this book intensified my already existing thoughts about social media, online spaces and the Big Tech. Our data, our emotional state and our privacy are being used to generate money to the already big big big Tech Industry. What’s most vulnerable to us shouldn’t be shared in the open world. It’s gives a false narrative that everybody cares. Nobody cares because we see a lot of content everyday and can’t distinguish what is what after a 15 minute scroll. On the other side, isn’t it more precious if we share our vulnerabilities to people closed to us, in real life, that really do care about us? Speaking for myself, I would rather prefer that a friend tells me she’s pregnant while we are having dinner instead of it being posted on close friends on Instagram.

Well, the rest of this review will go into my reading journal. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book and rated it 4 stars. Eager to read more by Adele

[Georgia Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgot to log when I actually read but really made me reconsider how much time I spend online. Halved my screen time since reading🌸

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hardhitting read that has a lot to offer to an otherwise well-trodden debate. An incredibly brave work to publish, to say the least. I felt it got a bit lost in the middle/towards the end in its messaging, but still thought it a powerful book that ought to be read by many more people (especially by those in power to affect change).

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off very well, but I genuinely don't think she goes far enough.
Everyone will have differing opinions but I completely advocate the dismantling of social media and smartphones ruling our lives. It's nice that she can still put a positive spin on the things that drove her sister to suicide, but sometimes I don't think ending on a high note is appropriate - not when there's still so much at stake. Her messages are well thought out and erudite, but it lacks the conviction to say enough is enough.

[milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an excellent book which should be read as part of the growing collection of books emerging that are bringing attention to some of the more harmful aspects of the online world, the impacts of excessive social media and screen use on us as individuals and collectively, and what we can do to challenge these tech bros that have been so good at capturing our attention for the last 15 years. we cannot allow them to do this for much longer and we need to act now. yes we need systemic and and top down regulation from government, but at the same time i do feel we need to take individual and collective action from the grassroots. its hard but we need to start pushing against the forces that are trying their best to reel us into their largely toxic worlds. it was absolutely devastating to read about how social media and the online world may have contributed to adele’s sister’s early death, and as someone who works in youth mental health i recognise how much we need to urgently prioritise these discussions. our lives are precious and one death is too many.

we would all benefit from “logging off” a bit more, and i love what adele is doing with creating more offline spaces in our communities through the logging off clubs she is helping to set up.

this book is just a part of the much wider discussion about the harms of the online world. people should not expect it to give us all the answers because sm and the online world is complex, they are such a big part of our lives and it is going to take time to work out how we nagivate it in the years to come. but we need to start somewhere, and it’s going to need a multi faceted approach.

for fans of: anxious generation by jonathan haidt, careless people by sarah w-w, digital minimalism by cal newport, the new age of sexism by laura bates, and anyone who wants to learn more about the digital world, how we can navigate its impacts moving forwards, and ultimately take back more control of our attention and lives!

thanks adele

[Anggi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a brilliant and heart-wrenching book! The author dives deep into online harms caused by big tech.
She calls for the end of their impunity from being held to account for the harms and suffering they have caused their vulnerable users.

She shares her personal story of losing her sister by suicide. Her sister became taken by an online suicide forum which took advantage of her vulnerable state and instead of helping her get better, it made her condition deteriorate further to the point of no return. I admire her bravery to share it and to fight to make sure that no one else ever has be in her position.

I now have a much better understanding how essential it is for us to take part in ensuring that innovation in technology does not sacrifice our humanity. How safety first should be embedded in the design step of any digital technology before it ever goes public. Moving fast and breaking things that seems to be the motto of big tech should be penalized harshly.

She also discusses topics such as how AI has impacted our work life and forces us to work to our limit to push more productivity at the cost of our mental well-being. Moreover, she speaks about the need for inclusivity and to make sure that digital transformation does not end up leaving behind older generation just because they are unfamiliar with the technology for example in banking.

I highly recommend this book!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do think this book makes several important points and gives them a real personal perspective which I think is needed. I wouldn't go into this expecting extremely researched impacts. The downside with that is some of this book does make points that I don't think hold up or require further exploration which I am sure will be found somewhere else.

This book also called me old in the most niche way - which is that she makes a passing comment about how unlike most of us her sister knew Pharrell before happy make him big. Which killed me as someone who was alive for their 2004 She Wants to Move and therefore is aware Pharrell was in fact quite famous before Happy.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book hits the nail on the head in so many ways & is obviously written from such a vulnerable but urgent place given the authors loss of her sister at the hands of the online world. excellent use of case studies & interviews with a wide range of ppl & their experiences. think detoxing my life (as much as possible) of big tech & algorithms& culture of convenience & false senses of connection over a screen is now more than ever one of my top priorities. absolutely ridiculous what this industry gets away with all in the name of ‘progress’ & ‘productivity’ without collective & individual well-being’s considered at all. we need to reclaim our off & online spaces NOW !

[The Hummus Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to meet the author Adele Zeynep discussing the book before I got to read it.
I quickly bonded with the author’s genuine energy, sense of humour and authenticity.
I got to pick up the same energy in written form while reading the book.
The author’s lived experience shines throughout the pages and her deep insights and genuine care to encourage people to log off resonated with me.

Don’t expect life changing outcomes but expect an easy, interesting read

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a lot of these warning style books, and this one doesn't stand out. It's anecdotal and one-sided, but it does have some balance.
Walton has obviously suffered much, but there's not always a lot of nuance around her descriptions. Occasionally, a more hopeful balance peeks through, but it's rare.

[lois elbourne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very important read!

[Enya Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an incredibly important and insightful book that everyone should read.

[dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

such an important book !! an accessible read on the impacts of social media / digital life and a call for change