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Internet Trolls

Here's why it's not ok to slag Ed Sheeran for quitting social media

Keep your ginger busker jeers to yourself.

ED SHEERAN ANNOUNCED he was quitting social media this week thanks to his various trolls.

edsheeran Ed Sheeran / Instagram Ed Sheeran / Instagram / Instagram

“I’ve actually come off Twitter completely. I can’t read it,” he told The Sun newspaper.

“I go on it and there’s nothing but people saying mean things. Twitter’s a platform for that. One comment ruins your day. But that’s why I’ve come off it.”

It comes after the Shape Of You singer received many a disparaging tweet following his Glastonbury set. Several Twitter users referred to the headline act as simply a “ginger busker”.

Lady Gaga has come out in support of her fellow artist. The Born This Way singer took to Instagram, saying:

What an incredible talented artist [...] I wish all people on the internet would be positive and loving and apart of creating an online community that is kind and empowering, not hateful and mean. No reason to tear down an artist simply because they are on top. Work harder to be kinder everybody. That should be your first duty to humanity.

This is by no means the first time a celebrity has called time on their social media usage after being targeted by trolls.

Ed’s bezzie mate Taylor Swift is slowly but surely making her way back to social media, after that scrap with Kim Kardashian and her breakup with Tom Hiddleston caused her to scale back.

v0 Taylor Swift / Twitter Taylor Swift / Twitter / Twitter

Now, let me preface this by saying that:

  1. Nobody is perfect
  2. You don’t have to like everybody (not even Ed Sheeran)

You’d be hard pushed to find someone who hasn’t faced the wrath of a keyboard warrior at some point in their lives. In fact, when we’re not the ones being bashed, it’s very possible that we’ve been the, eh, bash-ee.

But there’s a difference between disliking something (and making a case for why that is) and continuous harassment.

Consider how shite it feels when your friend won’t untag you from that gross photo on Facebook, or when someone leaves a hateful comment on your Instagram selfie that you thought was poppin’.

Now, imagine that, every day on a magnified scale.

Ed is proof that you can still have the biggest selling album of the year and can still find it all A Bit Too Much™️. Nobody – not even a celeb  - is immune to systematic, and sometimes you have to make the call when enough is enough.

Furthermore, Ed isn’t “weak” for making the call. Why would you continue to subject yourself to that knowing how it makes you feel?

Some would argue if the decision really required a song and dance – but realistically, radio silence would have been questioned by his fans.

And anyway, if we’re questioning anyone’s mindset, it should be those of the trolls – Canadians studies have suggested those that engage in online trolling display signs of psychopathy and sadism. All as they anonymously tap insults into a keyboard …

So before we continue to advocate for increased mental health awareness among young men, maybe we should take a look at our reaction to the singer’s decision to quit.

Take your time Ed – we’ll see you when we see you!
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