The conflict between celebrities and the media took on a new dimension last week when two well-known international film actors “dropped out” online and at press conferences.
38-year-old American Jonah Hill announced that he will no longer participate in interviews for the promotion of his films and closed his Instagram account. And 26-year-old British Tom Holland decided to leave his social networks.
Both celebrities made the same rationale: to maintain mental health and avoid anxiety attacks. And they are not alone.
Pressure on the relationship between celebrities and the media
Since the beginning of 2021, dozens of artists, singers and athletes have shown the same attitude.
Hill, who has starred in productions such as “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Lawyers,” said on Wednesday that he will no longer participate in interviews or promotional tours as such incidents cause intense and extreme concern.
In the entertainment industry, it’s common for actors and directors to spend a day or even two in one-on-one interviews with the press, often held in hotels.
Conversations are usually not provocative or tense. Counselors agree in advance what to ask and it is common to ask reporters not to touch on certain topics, as it would be a waste of time, as the interviewee will not mention them.
Still, the artist is put on a marathon that values the work and has a responsibility to respond in a non-controversial way. For Jonah Hill, this is not a comfortable situation.
While promoting her new documentary “Sputz,” based on her relationship with Phil Stutz, the therapist who has treated her since 2017, the actress announced her decision not to participate in interview tours in a letter published by entertainment news site Deadline.
“I have just finished directing my second film, a documentary called ‘Stutz’ about me and my therapist that explores mental health in general.
The whole point of making this movie is to give therapy and the tools I’ve learned in therapy through a fun movie to a wide audience for private use.
In this journey of self-discovery in film, I concluded that I spent nearly 20 years experiencing anxiety attacks exacerbated by media and public events.”
He then explains that the public will not see him promote the new business.
“I am delighted that the film will have its world premiere at a prestigious film festival this fall, and I can’t wait to share it with audiences around the world in the hopes that it will help those who are struggling.
However, you won’t be seeing me promoting this movie or my upcoming movies as I take this important step to protect myself.
I wouldn’t be being honest with myself or the movie if I’d made myself even sicker by going out there and advertising it.”
Hill admits to being “one of the privileged few who can afford a break” from the media.
“I tend to be cowed by such letters or statements, but I understand that I am one of the privileged few who can get permission.
I’m not going to lose my job while working on my anxiety. With this letter and “Stutz,” I hope to make it more normal for people to talk and act on these issues.
So that they can take steps to feel better about themselves and better understand the problems of the people in their lives.”
Although this move was applauded by many, there were those who criticized the artist on social media with ironic comments as “how hard it is to be rich and famous”.
Some even claimed that he was under the influence of drugs.
Also Read | False lessons from international tabloids forcing celebrities to reveal their personal stories
That same week, Hill also shut down her Instagram account, showing signs of discomfort.
In October 2021, the actor posted a post asking fans to stop commenting on his body, good or bad, for being “not helpful”.
She had previously mentioned that her “childhood insecurities” were “made worse by years of being ridiculed by the press for her body.”
Three years ago, . The actress directed a series about bullying with her Instagram.
Celebrities and social media
The leading actor of the movie “Spider-Man: No Returning Home”, actor Tom Holland, announced that he left his social networks, where he has about 75 million followers, on Saturday, 13th, from his Instagram account.
In the post, which had just over 22 million views at the time of this writing, he said that digital media is “harmful” and traps people in a vicious circle.
“I find Instagram and Twitter overly stimulating and overwhelming,” she said.
“When I read about myself online, I find myself in a spiral, and at the end of the day it is very damaging to my mood.
So I decided to take a step back and delete the app.”
Check out this photo on Instagram
Naomi Osaka X Media
Hill and Holland’s actions were not isolated. One of the most symbolic cases involving celebrities and the media took place in 2021. In May of that year, 22-year-old Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka announced that she would no longer participate in the press conferences of the Roland Garros tournament. France.
He said some of the questions asked by journalists to justify the decision affected his mental health. He also said that the questions from the pros were repetitive, as well as causing sports professionals to doubt their abilities.
The behavior of the athlete, who was included in the list of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2019 and 2020, and often engaged in social purposes, caused discontent among the organizers of the French tournament. At the time, he was fined $15,000 for failing to attend the press conferences common in sports marketing.
Also Read | Tennis player Naomi Osaka boycotting press conferences garnered support from athletes and sponsors
On the other hand, the clash of celebrities against the press to protect their mental health received support from many athletes and sponsors, such as Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton and Nike.
“Best decision of my life”
The pressure created by social media and the press has also discouraged other celebrities from the media, such as Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Robert Lindsay, Demi Lovato and Camila Cabello.
Selena, who gave the password of her Instagram account, which has approximately 350 million followers, to her team, said earlier this year that leaving social media was the best decision she made.
In 2021, the Education Policy Institute think tank and The Prince’s Trust said in a report that heavy use of social media is harming the mental health of young people, according to a BBC report released earlier this month.
Part of the toxicity of social media comes from the fact that they have no control over what is shared, which leaves room for hateful comments.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Facebook’s software to detect and remove hateful messages failed to catch even 2% of what was posted on the social network.
Also Read | Internal documents show Facebook AI has minimal impact on moderating hate speech
Protest
Due to the inability of social media platforms to manage comments, many athletes also decided to leave the platforms. One of them was former French football player Thierry Henry, who decided to leave Twitter last year to protest racism.
“Starting tomorrow morning, I will withdraw from social media until people in power can organize their platforms with the same vigor and ferocity they have when you violate copyright….
The enormity of racism, bullying and mental torture is too toxic to ignore. Then there must be some responsibilities,” he said.
One of the players who fell victim to the prejudices was the Brazilian Fred Rodrigues of Manchester United. He was attacked online after losing the ball in a game played in early 2021.
Also Read | French football star left social media to protest bullying and racism
source: Noticias
