Actress, singer and entrepreneur Selena Gomez knows what it’s like to grow up on the Internet. It’s why she decided to step away from it for the last four years.
“I haven’t been on the Internet in four and a half years,” Gomez told Good Morning America. “It has changed my life completely. I am happier, I am more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal.”
Fans of Gomez who see her posts on social media might think she’s talking about a different Internet or something, but the global superstar clarifies that doesn’t spend time scrolling. She snaps selfies or curates content — all part of the job for a celeb — before handing it over to her team to post. No scrolling. No Tiktok rabbit holes. No comment sections. The dream.
Gomez has spent nearly her entire life in the spotlight, and much of that time has been in the pages of gossip magazines. Paparazzi and fans follow her every move, posting everything about her — the good, the bad and the ugly. After years of battling mental health, Gomez decided it was time to log off for good.
“Growing up in the spotlight has definitely taught me so much. I can’t believe that I’m where I am now mentally,” Gomez explained.
And she certainly isn’t the first celeb to sign off forever. Meghan Markle, Emma Stone and Pete Davidson are just a few of the most famous individuals who stopped using social media to improve their overall health.
But for all the documented positive testimonies about quitting social media, platforms are a key way for celebrities and even normal people to stay connected. Our society has integrated social media into our way of life, and it will take more than a few celebrities logging off to change that.
Perhaps that’s why Gomez has decided to do something about it. Working with her mother Mandy Teffy and friend Daniela Pearson, she’s launching Wondermind, a new multimedia company focused on mental health.
Wondermind’s main goal is to focus on “the two D’s: destigmatize and democratize.” The website launches this week and offers a free newsletter that shares tips and insight on a variety of mental health issues alongside professional and expert content.
“This is for anyone with feelings who wants to feel understood and loved and cared about,” Gomez shared. “You should be working on your mental fitness just like you work on your physical fitness.”
Gomez believes that having information can be the key to understanding and improving mental health. She opened up in 2020 that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since then, she’s shared that having language and understanding about her diagnosis helped her accept it and learn to process her life better.
“It was really freeing to have the information,” Gomez said. “It made me really happy because I started to have a relationship with myself. I think that’s the best part, like I’ve probably been the happiest I’ve ever been.”
You can see the full conversation below.
