Why Selena Gomez Has Stayed Off Social Media For 4.5 Years

6 April 2022, 12:49

By Capital FM

@CapitalOfficial

Selena Gomez admitted she ‘hasn’t been on the internet’ in four and a half years.

Selena Gomez just got real about her mental health journey, confessing she’s stayed offline for four and a half years.

As she announced her new mental health platform Wondermind, Selena spoke to Good Morning America, revealing her decision to permanently log off of social media has ‘changed my life completely.’

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She said of her decision: “It has changed my life completely. I am happier, I am more present, I connect more with people. I understand how powerful the internet is, and in so many ways it's done the best things for the world. But for me, I get to my news that is actually important I get through people in my life."

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Last year, Selena revealed she deleted social media apps from her phone three years prior and that if she wants to post anything she simply logs in on her friend’s phone.

Despite her decision she remains one of the most-followed celebrities on Instagram with 310 million followers at the time of writing.

Why did Selena Gomez quit social media?

Selena removed all the social media apps from her phone in 2018 when she noticed the constant stream of information took its toll on her mentality.

She said to WWD’s Beauty Inc in 2021: “To be honest, I was just, like, ‘This is too much information.’ This is too much of my personal life spread out everywhere, and it just felt uncontrollable. I felt like my thoughts and everything I was consuming revolved around a million different other people in the world saying good things and bad things. And I just thought, ‘Why would I—I don’t get anything from it. Nothing is giving me life.’ And I just snapped, and I was over it.”

The Only Murders In The Building star said her team convinced her not to delete her accounts altogether, which she’s grateful for as she can stay connected while ‘being completely true to who I am.’

In her Good Morning America interview on 5 April she said she came off the internet to protect her mental health, explaining: "Growing up in the spotlight has definitely taught me so much. I can’t believe I am where I am mentally just because of how I took the necessary steps in order to kind of remove myself from that because it’s just not normal. I really want people to be understood and seen and heard. It’s okay to not be okay."

In 2020 Selena revealed her diagnosis with bipolar, and that having more time to focus on herself has only helped her understand the diagnosis. "I started to have a relationship with myself, and I think that's the best part," she explained.

I've probably been the happiest I've ever been. My mom knows. And it's just been really wonderful, but it's work and you do it every day."

Selena, her mother Mandy Teefey and Newsette co-founder Daniella Pierson are aiming to normalise putting in work to improve one’s mental health with their new platform Wonderland.

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