The novel follows Adeline, a semi-famous, middle-aged comic book artist, and other San Francisco residents as they attempt to navigate a world increasingly liberated by the freedoms of speech provided through Twitter.
After a video of Adeline voicing controversial opinions is posted on the Internet, she spends much of the novel attempting to remedy her negative online reputation.
The novel is presented as a non-linear narrative with tangential commentary on real-world people and events, as well as the story of Adeline and her friends.
Kobek decided that “in San Francisco everything is a battle, everything is a fight” and that most of this gentrification was due to the Internet and large tech companies, such as Google or Twitter.
[2] Kobek later moved to Los Angeles to escape his negative experience of San Francisco.
Kobek also found inspiration from his observation of the unnecessary importance individuals place on social media, such as Twitter.
He does not believe that relying heavily on social media and abusing women as well as other minorities is an effective way to run a society, and in an attempt to acknowledge the fact that “this technology which seems to be really good at enabling misogyny and abuse of women was created in rooms where there were no women.”[1] Kobek feels as though Twitter is a “social network that makes everyone sound like a 15 year old.”[1] He also feels that the Internet provides a place for individuals to post about issues that other individuals begin to take too seriously, therefore facilitating conflict.
Adeline, the protagonist, grew up in Pasadena, California with her mother Suzanne, who became an alcoholic after the death of her husband.
During her time in California, Adeline adopts a transatlantic accent from watching Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Around this time, Jeremy and Adeline decide to produce a comic called Trill, a fictional story about an anthropomorphic cat.
Due to the perceived racist and sexist nature of the comic book industry, Adeline and Jeremy decide to write under the pseudonyms J.W.
Jeremy and Adeline's true identities remain a secret until a producer accidentally reveals them in a press conference.
Meanwhile, Adeline gives birth and names her son Emil after her late brother who committed suicide.
J. Karacehennem moves to San Francisco in 2010 and takes Adeline to many social events where she meets Kevin Killian.
An article surfaces of an interview of when Adeline was still pretending to be a Russian man (under her pseudonym, M. Abrahamovic Petrovich).
Erik is annoyed with Adeline's strange style of speaking and leaves her standing on the street.
[6] Jack Kirby was the original creator of many notable Marvel characters and series, including The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and Dr. Doom.
In the novel work-for-hire was described as “one of the many bad deals that businesses offered to creative people ... we pay you enough to eat and we keep everything you create.” While working for Marvel, Kirby created Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the original X-Men, the Avengers, Thor, Loki, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Ant-Man.
I Hate the Internet has received generally positive reviews, including from both The New York Times and The Guardian.