Celebrities who took a break from social media

In the era of so-called "digital toxicity," the urge to hit the pause button and step away from social media for a while is increasingly common. This healthy need affects more and more people, including celebrities, who are certainly much more exposed to the spotlight and criticism than us "mere mortals." In this gallery, let's see who was brave enough to take the step...

Let's start with one of the biggest pop stars of her generation: Taylor Swift. In 2017, the singer made a decision that sparked a lot of speculation, namely deleting all her posts from her Instagram channel to start from scratch.

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The drastic decision coincided with the anniversary of the release of her album '1989,' marking the beginning of a new era for the singer, who later released the album "Reputation." The deletion of her social content was interpreted as a way to create a "blank slate" before launching the new project.

Another celebrity who decided to say "enough" for a while to constant connection and the endless flow of digital information is Zoë Kravitz, famous especially for her leading roles in the HBO drama series 'Big Little Lies' and 'High Fidelity.'

According to Vanity Fair, in 2021, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet decided to take a break from social media following numerous online criticisms for wearing a Saint Laurent silver dress at the MET Gala. This experience led her to delete all the images on her Instagram profile and temporarily withdraw from the platform.

SNL alumn Pete Davidson, and ex of famous personalities such as Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande, decided to deactivate his Instagram account following his breakup with Grande in 2018. The hiatus lasted for five years... not counting a brief one-week return in 2022!

Davidson described the digital environment as very toxic and having a negative impact on his well-being. These were his words, quoted by Vanity Fair: "I just don't wanna be on Instagram anymore, or on any social media platform," he shared in a statement at the time. "The Internet is an evil place and it doesn't make me feel good. Why should I spend any time on negative energy when my real life is f—king lit," he said in a statemnt.

Among the international stars who were first to try digital detox, we find Kendall Jenner who decided to detox from social media in 2016, even if for a very short period.

According to the Observer, this gesture gave rise to a lot of speculation among fans, such as Jenner having undergone surgery. After just a week of absence, Kendall returned to Instagram more active than ever.

Still according to the Observer, Matt Czuchry, known for playing Logan Huntzberger in the famous series 'Gilmore Girls,' decided to disappear from social media in 2016 just when the final four episodes 'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life' were released. Why? We'll explain in the next slide.

Matt Czuchry decided to step away from his social accounts to avoid having to answer fans' questions about the last dialogue of the last episode aired on Netflix, which involved Logan's possible paternity of Rory's child!

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She's certainly one of the most followed celebrities on Instagram, but perhaps the pressure stemming from so much fame led her to decide to take a 90-day break in 2016.

Vanity Fair reports that after that episode, Selena Gomez returned to social media but with a new attitude: letting other people manage her accounts to preserve her mental health.

Zayn Malik, former One Direction member and ex of Gigi Hadid, in 2012 decided to take a very brief hiatus from his Twitter profile, a break that, however, lasted only two days!

"The reason i don't tweet as much as i use to, is because I'm sick of all the useless opinions and hate that i get daily goodbye twitter :)," he tweeted when he came back. As of 2024, it looks like his Twitter is managed by someone else and is focused mainly on promotion.

According to the South China Morning Post, New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, pseudonym of Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, decided to disconnect from social media to focus on writing her third album, 'Solar Power.'

In 2018, after an intense international tour and the production of the album 'Melodrama,' she felt the need to slow down and spend time with family and friends, as well as recharge in nature. This digital detox allowed her to write music inspired by quieter and more introspective daily experiences.

Canadian singer Justin Bieber also took a break from social media in 2016, a counter-trend decision that led him to delete his official Instagram profile.

According to Vanity Fair, this decision was driven by the criticisms that fans had directed at him for his relationship with Sofia Richie: they did nothing but attack her. But, as everyone knows, today Bieber is married to Hailey Baldwin and is more active than ever on his social channels.

In 2016, Ed Sheeran also decided to take a long break from the frantic world of social media and start a phase of digital detox in his life that he used to travel and be inspired by what the world had to offer him.

According to Observer, the popular 'Shape of You' singer remained digitally silent for about 50 weeks, a certainly brave decision, given the importance of social media for such public figures.

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