Stephen Fry’s recent announcement that he will step away from Twitter for a month due to safety concerns demonstrates a quandary experienced by other celebrities.
Gone are the days of privacy and top-down publicity machines. Nowadays, individuals in the public spotlight need to grapple with the insatiable demand for content, multitudinous mediums and filter-free contact with their fans.
Some stars seem to be natives to the social media world and use it effectively to maximise their appeal and interact with people. But others struggle with the exposure and megaphone effect.
Ashton Kutcher was a quick devotee of Twitter, famously challenging CNN to a popularity contest on the social media site. “One person can actually have as big of a voice online as what an entire media company can on Twitter,” Kutcher said, but even he had to abandon the medium temporarily after an uproar over one single tweet.
Fry and Kutcher among them, here are some of the celebs who have had to take Twitter time-outs.
Stephen Fry’s recent announcement that he will step away from Twitter for a month due to safety concerns demonstrates a quandary experienced by other celebrities.
The British writer and actor cryptically posted: “Closing down on Twitter while filming. In a place whence I’ve been advised it is safest not to tweet. See you December. Here goes…”
Keira Knightley once joined Twitter under an alias but permanently delete her account 12 hours later. “It made me feel a little bit like being in a school playground and not being popular and standing on the sidelines kind of going, ‘Argh!”
Matthew McConaughey said, “Man, that Twitter deal, that’s pretty bad, right?” The Oscar winner said he was uncomfortable letting everyone know when and where he was available. Now however Matthew is an active Tweeter.
James Franco quit Twitter after corporate executives he was working with criticised his tweets. He re-activated his account in 2012.
Megan Fox joined Twitter but quit after just one week. She tweeted, “5 days on Twitter and I have yet to discern it’s purpose.”
Charlie Sheen announced he was leaving Twitter in 2012 but couldn’t resist coming back.
Despite being a huge Twitter advocate, Ashton Kutcher left the medium after uproar over a comment relating to sacked Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. He returned a few weeks later.
In 2009, Zac Efron said he was staying away from social networking sites, including Twitter, because of privacy reasons. He returned in 2012.
Adele quit Twitter in 2012 because she reportedly receiving insults and taunts after giving birth to her first child. She returned the following month.
Alec Baldwin said that his views on social media changed after James Gandolfini’s funeral, when a British journalist claimed his wife was tweeting during the service. “I really learned a lesson at the funeral,” Baldwin told Vanity Fair. “I said to myself, This is all a waste of time. Meaning it’s fun sometimes, but less and less, and less. It’s just another chink in your armor for people to come and kill you. I stopped and said to myself, I’m going to try where I just don’t do this anymore.”
Jennifer Love-Hewitt wrote “I’m sad to say twitter is no longer for me. I have enjoyed all the kindness and love that came my way, as well as support. But this break is needed.”
Sylvester Stallone said Twitter was “crazy” one month but returned to it the next.
