Selena Gomez has announced that she will be taking a break from social media for a time, reminding us all that sometimes it's necessary to live life to the fullest in real life, instead of experiencing it through a screen. The singer posted a selfie on Instagram on Sunday night with a caption that read, "As much as I am grateful for the voice that social media gives each of us, I am equally grateful to be able to step back and live my life present to the moment I have been given." She continued, "Kindness and encouragement only for a bit! Just remember - negative comments can hurt anybody's feelings. Obvi."
This is not the first time that the 26-year-old has taken a break from the social media platform. As it's a great way for her talk to her fans on a more direct level, she's definitely not been spared from the hateful comments, whether from random haters or situations like the one that occurred when Stefano Gabbana called her ugly. With 143 million followers on Instagram, Selena is actually 2018's most popular account so, while she has never been a serial poster like some, her absence from the platform is definitely not going to go unnoticed — in fact, it will be far from it. But her fans are largely in support of her decision.
What's more, it seems to be a trend among celebrities at this point, as we reach the high capacity when it comes to the way in which social media has come to take over many of our lives. Just last week, Kanye West (who has also been known to take intermittent breaks from the social platforms) took to Twitter to write, "We should be able to participate in social media without having to show how many followers or likes we have. Just like how we can turn off the comments we should be able to turn off the display of followers. This has an intense negative impact on our self worth."
She just this weekend stepped out in a pair of Baja East x Melissa pool slides that read "Thriving" across the top, so she might just be putting into words for the paparazzi what she's going to stop posting on social media: Selena Gomez is doing awesome. And, no, she doesn't need to hear your opinion.
Photo via BFA