Once upon a time, celebrities kept their distance from their fans. There was a time when the only way to contact a celebrity was through their many fan clubs. Celebrity handlers rarely let stars get too familiar with their fans.
All of that changed when social media networking came along and provided starstruck fans with unfettered access to their idols like never before.
Suddenly celebrities were exposed to bullies and stalkers who attacked them in 140 characters or less.
Some stars were driven to commit suicide, while others are simply walking away from social media’s toxic environment.
Aaron Paul says he is stepping away from social media to “focus on work and family”.
The former “Breaking Bad” actor told his 2.6 million Twitter followers on Monday night that he was “taking a break” from his social media accounts so he could be less involved in his phone and more focused on his work projects and his loved ones.
“I have decided to take a break from all things social media. Keeping my head up and phone down for a little while,” tweeted Aaron, who welcomed his first child with wife Lauren Parsekian, daughter Story Annabelle, in February, according to WENN.com.
He added that he needed “some time to focus on work and family. Can’t thank you all enough for the love and support. Much love to you all.”
The 39-year-old actor also wiped his timeline of all other tweets.
His announcement came a day after “Riverdale” star Lili Reinhart told her fans on Instagram that she was walking away from Twitter because she couldn’t stand the negativity any longer.
“Do people on Twitter ever get tired of being so negative and disrespectful to literally everyone and everything? Are they really that miserable?” she wrote.
“There’s hate everywhere. But especially on Twitter. It’s like a cesspool for evil 15-year-olds who don’t know what the hell they’re talking about and have nothing better to do… Taking a break from that toxic site and the people on it who feel the need to attack me, my cast mates, my relationship and Riverdale.”
“Stranger Things” actress Millie Bobby Brown also walked away from millions of Twitter followers on the advice of her handlers in June. She has not returned.
And actress Selena Gomez announced in September that she was stepping away from her social media accounts.
The departure of some of pop culture’s biggest stars has forced Twitter to change its policies to crack down on bullying.
