With 288 million followers on Instagram, Selena Gomez is one of the most followed accounts on the social media platform. The 29-year-old actress, singer and producer is among viral celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Beyoncé, who just about everyone follows. Her account is still active as ever as it updates fans on topics such as her makeup line Rare Beauty, glam photoshoots or her upcoming projects, like the new Hotel Transylvania movie. But according to Gomez, she’s backed off social media as of late for her own mental health.
While speaking to USA Today, Selena Gomez opened about her relationship with social media while discussing the themes of the upcoming movie Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, which has its monstrous characters dealing with the idea of finding self acceptance. In Gomez’s words:
I definitely have felt like maybe I wasn't good enough or I should look a certain way. I had a hard time, but it's actually been four years for me without social media on my phone besides TikTok. So it's been wonderful. I still post and do what I do, but I've learned to have a balance with it and not let it consume me.
Like many of us, Selena Gomez deals with the negative impact social media can have on our lives. And as you can imagine, it’s even at a more massive scale because so many people are consuming her posts, liking and commenting on what she writes on places like Instagram. Many of us would be surprised that Selena Gomez actually doesn’t have social media apps on her personal phone due to its ability to “consume” her. Well, except for TikTok... which she is hilarious on.
As of late, the actress has been known to have fun with various TikTok trends, along with posting updates such as this one, where she’s back on set with Steve Martin and Martin Short for Only Murders in the Building for Season 2:
@selenagomez Day one -back with these dads
♬ original sound - Selena Gomez
Each social media platform has its own pros and cons to it, with Instagram specifically the most condensed with images and people often crafting illusions through posting the best versions of themselves. In the past couple years, TikTok has skyrocketed in popularity, surpassing Instagram in users. One big difference with TikTok is how many of its viral videos seem to be accepting of many more looks and ways of being than the stereotypical Instagram moment, perhaps contributing to Gomez’s decision to keep it on as her only form of social media on her phone.
The actress still interacts on social media and posts, but she separates herself from it on a daily basis for a big reason many of us are well aware of: it’s incredibly addictive. It’s great to see Selena Gomez finding some balance with social media. You can check out her return to Hotel Transylvania with Transformania, coming to Amazon Prime on January 14.
