Gimme a social break!

Mona

The virtual world spares none; recently, Anurag Kashyap joined the long list of celebrities who have called it quits on social media. While many Bollywood and Hollywood A-Listers have taken time off Twitter or Instagram, facing online abuse, here is a lowdown on other big shots taking on the ‘social’ exit mode.

Affairs, breakups & more 

“Peep into my life. I don’t mind!” reads Pulkit Samrat’s current Twitter bio. But back in 2016 when rumours were rife about his alleged affair with a co-star and trouble brewing with wife, he decided to take a break. “No more tweets! Am done! Thank you for all your love and support! This virtual world was good but not good enough!” was his message when he went on a longish break.

On similar grounds, Sushant Singh Rajput had to bid adieu to social media as his break-up with Ankita Lokhande and alleged brewing affair with co-star Kriti Sanon that did not go down well with his fans. He was back for promotions of what turned out to be a winner M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story.

Troll lanes

Rishi Kapoor shares a massive love-hate relationship on social media. Witty and scathing, he announced, “Twitter has only given me grief,” as he took a break before returning. Rapper Iggy Azalea was body-shamed, which made her bid adieu.

Friendships turned feuds

Justin Bieber ran into trouble as he took on a new love. Selena Gomez fans would have none of it. Bieber -Gomez spat turned ugly and the Sorry hitmaker took a break before joining back, claiming his rightful spot on the list of the ‘most famous’ on Instagram. A Grammy win started another spat between rappers Cardi B and Azealia Banks, when the former took off from the social sites for as long as two days. A song promotion brought her back soon enough.

On their own trip

Kayne West’s last reason was to guard against ‘personal rants’ that were becoming rather cumbersome. Only to be back with a Tweet ‘Let’s make America great again’; lending support to his famous friend. Kim Kardashian had to pay a big price for showing off her pricey baubles and she left social media, post the Paris robbery; only she couldn’t continue to be away from it for long! 

Promotional propaganda

It is no revelation that social media is not the space solely for some ‘fan’ love. In the age of influencers, actors and singers use the space to sell. Blake Lively pulled off a Houdini act, promoting her film, A Simple Favor, which is about a woman who goes missing. That Lively deleted all her posts and un-followed everyone, including her husband Ryan Reynolds, made her followers wonder. Taylor Swift took a break to reset her account for getting ready for Reputation, a move that unsettled many.

Now a celeb leaving a social site might worry the fans and social media giants equally, but Rihanna remains one standout case when her Instagram was shut down over no-nude policy. Few hours of on-off, RiRi came back in style with a picture shaking hands with Insta.

Royal hitch

All exits on social media aren’t for reasons bad; for being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, deleted her personal Insta handle. Her royal life is now documented on the official Instagram account of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex!

Long live the celebs and their posts!

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