Scarlett Johansson shares why she's 'too fragile’ to be on social media
Even celebrities compare themselves to other people.
Actress Scarlett Johansson meeting with service members during a troop engagement at Forward Operation Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, on December 7, 2016.
It seems a little strange that many A-list celebrities don’t have social media accounts. One would assume that someone who makes their living in the public eye would have no problem sharing things about their lives on Instagram or Facebook.
According to InStyle, there are plenty of big-name celebrities who do not have social media accounts, including Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Kristen Stewart and Brad Pitt.
In a recent interview with 'The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast," actor Scarlett Johansson revealed why she doesn’t use social media. "The Skinny Confidential" is hosted by Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and her husband, Michael Bosstick.
The main reason why Scar Jo doesn’t have a social media account is she doesn’t think it’s good for her mental health.
"I honestly am too fragile a person to have social media. I can’t. My ego is too fragile," she said on the podcast. The hosts couldn’t believe that social media would be a problem for Johansson.
"I can't deal with it,” she continued. “My brain is too fragile. I’m like a delicate flower. I have enough anxiety, honestly."
She admitted to having an Instagram account for “three days,” but things didn’t go well. Even though she has a lot to be proud of in her life, she couldn’t help but compare herself to others on the platform.
"I started realizing that I’d spent 20 minutes looking at somebody’s Instagram page, someone who worked for a friend of mine. I now know you have a pit bull and two daughters and you live in, like, Burbank,” she said.
She also thinks that social media is a huge time suck.
"I was like, what? I just wasted 17 minutes of time," Johansson said. "I now feel like I should move to California, get this specific dog, and change my life in all these ways. I felt so bad. Like I was missing out on this random person's life. I can't do this. I'm too fragile."
However, she thinks TikTok is fun when she uses it for work.
"I then become like a 3-year-old with their mom’s phone where I get completely absorbed into it. So, that’s why I know I can’t have it," Scarlett concluded.
Johansson isn’t alone. Studies show that most people who use social media compare themselves to others on platforms such as Instagram, which can lead to problems with mental health. A big reason is that we are all prone to comparing ourselves to others, whether consciously or not.
"We may not have a direct realization that taking in other people’s highlight reel—or content in general—is causing us to gauge how we feel about ourselves, our appearance and lifestyle, or our progress in life based on others," the BetterHelp Editorial Team wrote.
Social media creates an unrealistic view of other people’s lives because people only tend to share flattering things.
One study found that 87% of women and 65% of men compare their bodies to others when consuming social and traditional media. Another study found that people who use Facebook often believe others are happier.
The good news is that reducing social media use to just 30 minutes a day can lead to lower anxiety, depression, loneliness, and difficulty with sleep.