Taking a break from social media: Media ideologies of (not) sharing in celebrity culture

Abstract

Despite the continued drive for sharing the self online, social media users have been increasingly orienting to practices of ‘not sharing’ in the context of wider debates about digital wellbeing. In this article, we investigate how celebrities manage and navigate online sharing. We focus on media ideologies in social media posts that announce the celebrities' decision to ‘take a break’, i.e. to stop posting and/or engaging with social media content. Our analysis of these announcements as rich examples of metapragmatic awareness points to three main discourses that justify celebrities' decision to take a break: (a) mental health and wellbeing, (b) public-private boundaries, and (c) social justice and protest. These justifications of ‘not sharing’ are associated with metapragmatic typifications of celebrities who position themselves as vulnerable, but also as agentive, professional and role models for their fans. The article offers empirical insights into how power players of the social mediascape, such as celebrities, understand and orient to meanings and practices of digital sharing. In terms of practical implications, the study of celebrities' metapragmatic discourse reveals how fans, as ordinary users, are presented with opportunities and models of managing social media activity, owning mental health issues and acting on them.