There's a housing crisis in San Francisco, which is experiencing "hyper-gentrification." Was it caused by the Internet, and the army of workers in overvalued start-ups that have displaced thousands of regular businesses and bohemian residents?
Yes, according to Jarett Kobek, now living in LA after a stint in San Francisco, and author of I Hate the Internet, self-published earlier this year and a hit at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair.
I Hate the Internet is a novel, primarily about two women whose lives are upended by too much sharing. Along the way it fires potshots at a wide range of targets, including the white male patriarchy, Google Buses, millennial posturing, exploitation of comic book writers, and exploitation of all of us who generate ad sales for Silicon Valley titans by posting pictures and thoughts online.
DnA talks with Kobek about the Internet's role in dismantling community, creating a president and the shock of finding an audience hungry for his assault on the most game-changing invention of our time.