Guest Editor
Adele Zeynep Walton
“I’m Adele Zeynep Walton, a British-Turkish journalist, online safety campaigner and the author of Logging Off. Growing up as a Gen Z who loved writing and photography in equal measure, I was always drawn to documenting my life and sharing my interests on social media. But when I experienced first-hand the impact of online harms after losing my sister, I decided to channel my work as a journalist and activist into challenging Big Tech’s relentless power.
What fascinates me is the power of personal storytelling in building empathy in a digital world dominated by clickbait content and AI slop. When I’m not plotting the tech bros’ downfall, meeting with politicians or protesting outside Meta HQ, I’m building Logging Off Club, a community hosting phone-free events to help people reconnect with themselves and others.”
Adele Zeynep Walton
Us Places in London That Will Remind You of a Smartphone-Free World
Adele Zeynep Walton is a British-Turkish journalist, online safety campaigner and the author of Logging Off. After experiencing first-hand the impact of online harms after losing her sister, she decided to channel her work as a journalist and activist into challenging Big Tech’s relentless power. She also runs Logging Off Club, a community hosting phone-free events to help people reconnect with themselves and others.
Leaving the Screens Behind Helped Me Find My London Community
In December last year, I made the decision to move to London. Since my book Logging Off was published last summer, my work life as a freelance journalist and campaigner had suddenly become very busy. Some weeks I travelled up to London on the train multiple times, to meet journalists, speak to politicians and attend roundtable events. Everyone tells you London is the place to be as a freelancer, and given I knew so many people living across the city, it seemed like the logical next step.
I found a houseshare in Hackney over Instagram, and within a few weeks had made the move, and I was excited to finally get to know the city in which I had spent so much time during my 20s. But pretty soon, loneliness crept in. I’d walk past pubs with big groups of young people spilling out onto the pavements and feel a pang of envy. I’d walk through the park on my own and wish my friends lived closer. I’d scroll on the weekends comparing my social life to others.
Since I’ve entered my 20s, several familiar questions circle around my mind every few days. I find myself looking around and asking myself where community is in my life? Where is the connection beyond a screen? Why am I so dependent on fleeting digital interactions that feel good in the moment, but don’t fulfil me long term? I felt like a walking paradox. I wasn’t alone, but I felt deeply lonely. I was living in a neighbourhood where you could feel the sense of community, but I didn’t feel part of it.
And the truth was I didn’t quite know how to find and build my community, unless it was mediated through a digital platform. When visiting a friend in Bristol recently, I was in awe at how many different clubs she had found and become part of since moving to the city. I’d been living in London for 6 months and still felt rootless. My uncomfortable first thought? I need an app for that.
But the reality about finding your roots in a community is that it’s not as simple as just stepping outside, leaving your phone at home and striking up a conversation with strangers. It is a skill that a whole generation of young people didn’t get to learn. Instead, we were busy immersing ourselves in online worlds, platforms whose founders told us this was the most efficient, convenient and authentic way to connect. We were switching between platforms that incentivise us to prioritise visibility and short-term interaction, over depth and sustained engagement.
To say the promise of connection we were sold has fallen short is an understatement. Gen Z people – those who are the most ‘connected’ – are the most lonely generation, with social media addiction being attributed as one of the main drivers of this. Social media apps don’t encourage us to invest in what we’ve already got; their numerical drivers encourage us to seek out more. Meanwhile, more and more people are being driven towards AI “companions”, with a quarter of teens using AI chatbots as mental health support, as a sticking plaster solution to the scarcity of connection in our lives.
One of the reasons I’ve likely struggled to build community in London is the constant feeling that there might be better options for things to do, ways to spend my time. Instead of choosing to go to the same place over and over, we’ve been taught that we should try and be everywhere all at once, and the endless options we see on social media only reinforce this.
It’s undeniable that the huge explosion of phone-free events and IRL meetups over the past year is a direct reaction to the lack of connection people are feeling in their own lives. Phone-free nightlife is up 567% since 2024. Eventbrite found the UK is the global leader for phone-free events, whether that be events like what we host at Logging Off Club or existing venues embracing phone-free policies. We’re yearning for an age where phones were hung on the wall, computers stayed at home, and all we carried in our pocket were our keys. Just this year, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced a £30 million investment into Youth Lates, an initiative to open one late-night youth club in every London borough.
Last week, when I felt a surge of loneliness, I downloaded Eventbrite and searched for local events. I found a volunteering opportunity landscaping at the local cemetery I walk through daily. Yes, I felt like a bit of a cheat that I found it via an app, but I am a product of the digital age. The next day, after a day of working from home in solitude, I walked to the cemetery and was met by three other local women, all older than me.
By the end of the evening, I had worked up a sweat, taken care of some of the local trees by cutting back ivy, and found out about 2 other community groups I could get involved with. Not only that, but a woman about my age walked past solo when I was pulling down the ivy. I caught her eye and smiled, seeing myself in her. She pulled out an Airpod and asked me what organisation I was doing this with, and I jumped to tell her how she could join, genuinely excited at the prospect of making a friend this way. When I got home, both my housemates said I was glowing, and I know it was the feeling of being part of my local neighbourhood at last.
OFF THE CLOCK
Six ways to log off… the weekend, unfiltered.
01
DANCE
First things first, a dance to my fave genre – afrohouse. Black Coffee at the O2, followed by Desiree in Shoreditch!
02
RESET
Nothing better than a 7am cold plunge the morning after a night out, the sauna is the only time my mind actually goes quiet.
03
WANDER
Foccacia Mia and ice cream in Victoria Park with the girls, lazy park afternoons are my fave way to spend a sunny day.
04
FEAST
Good food – Middle Eastern brunch and a friend’s birthday BBQ!
05
WATER
Big into my swims recently as a water sign, I love London Fields Lido and currently reading this book.
06
PRESENCE
IRL catch ups with friends after weeks apart
My Neighbourhood
Why I Love Stoke Newington
Itto
This small Asian fusion spot is a gem and one of two in London, get the Itto Bento box.
Abney Park
My favourite shady spot to wander and listen to birdsong. On the first day I moved to Stokey I spotted a woodpecker here!
Sonora
The best taco spot, go on a weekday to avoid the queues.
The Yellow Warbler
I love this small cafe for their toasties and ramen and great coffee, and people actually chat to each other.
The White Hart
Love this pub’s massive sunny garden for a post work drink and it has pool tables.
The Prince
The best roast in Stokey and my favourite pub quiz on Thursdays.
Stokey Bookshop
My favourite local bookshop and the first pitstop in my paperback book tour!
Suttons and Sons
When I’m missing home and craving fish and chips, this hits the spot.
Store
My favourite place on Church Street, this community initiative trains underrepresented young people in Hackney to get into design and art pathways. All proceeds from their shop go to funding their free after school clubs.
Yoga Home
Their studio space is beautiful and their classes are a perfect start to the weekend.
Logging Off | The Human Cost of Our Digital World
Logging Off is an exploration of the dangers of social media, told through a blend of scientific research and personal experiences. The book dives into the ways that Big Tech corporations are benefitting by keeping us scrolling, while everyday people are being failed by the digital world.
You can get a copy of Adele’s book Logging Off here and you can follow her on Instagram here.
And There’s Merch Too…
Are you an IRL hottie? Or anti AI-slop? There’s a tee for you. These limited-edition Logging Off Club tees are screen printed on organic cotton and come in sizes XS – L. Get yours for £35 here.
