James Acaster's Guide to Quitting Social Media

James Acaster's Guide to Quitting Social Media is presented as a self-help book with a distinctive twist: rather than focusing on helping yourself, it positions James Acaster as the one doing the helping. The book is described as a Sunday Times bestseller.

The description recounts how, in 2019, Acaster quit all forms of social media in an elaborate way, including covering his phone in tar and driving it to a lock-up in Rhyl, before moving into a self-built castle called Castle Anti-Net. When withdrawal symptoms followed, he set out to replace what social media had provided with real-world, three-dimensional activities, enlisting the support of a mysterious wealthy benefactor named Clancy Dellahue and an expanding group of misfits known as the Tangfastic Crew.

Key details

• Described as a Sunday Times bestseller
• Framed as a self-help book with James Acaster “helping you”
• Centres on quitting social media in 2019 and replacing it with real-life activities
• Includes references to Clancy Dellahue and the Tangfastic Crew
• Referred to as Volume 1 in the description

Synopsis

After quitting social media in 2019, James Acaster experiences withdrawal symptoms and decides he must replace everything social media gave him with offline activities. With help from a wealthy benefactor, Clancy Dellahue, and a growing group called the Tangfastic Crew, he finds ways to recreate aspects of online life in the real world, from making new friends to observing exes and interacting with strangers.