Billie Eilish Compares Her Social Media Usage To Cigarettes, Calls It 'Addictive' And 'Hard To Quit'

Billie Eilish has opened up about her ongoing struggle with social media, describing it as an addictive force she finds hard to quit. Here's everything you need to know.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Dec 06, 2024 | 06:07 PM IST | 63.8K

Billie Eilish (via Instagram/Billie Eilish)

Billie Eilish, the Grammy and Oscar-winning artist, recently shared her complicated relationship with social media. In an interview with Complex, the singer-songwriter shared how her use of social platforms has become a struggle. While she enjoys connecting with fans, she has also recognized the negative effects social media has on her mental health.

Billie Eilish revealed that she has taken a step back from social media in recent months. "Yeah, I’m off that shit," she said, referring to X (formerly Twitter). She also mentioned that she left Instagram and TikTok "a couple of months ago, which was awesome."

Eilish has been open about her mixed feelings toward sharing her personal life online, and this decision to leave social media reflects her efforts to regain control of her mental well-being.

Despite stepping away from social media, the pressure to engage with her fans while on her world tour has made it difficult for Eilish to completely disconnect.

Touring in support of her latest album Hit Me Hard and Soft, Eilish shared how social media helps her interact with her audience. "I really love to interact with the fans when I’m on tour," she said. "I love seeing all the videos and all the angles. I love seeing how people are feeling and thinking about the show."

However, this desire to stay connected often pulls her back into the social media world. She added that if she thinks something looks different, she wants to change it.

So she goes on the internet to see the videos that she wants to see, but then she gets sucked in. She said then she gets all fucked up, and she is stuck. This cycle has made social media feel like an addiction for her, likening it to her cigarettes.

Even though social media has its downsides, Eilish acknowledges that there are some positive aspects. She enjoys hosting Q&A sessions with her fans on Instagram, a platform where she can directly connect with them. She shared that some of it’s awesome and she loves it and she cherishes it.

Despite the positives, she also noted the challenges that come with it, saying that people make that kind of thing really hard. It’s sad to her that some people ruin it for the rest of them.

This isn’t the first time Billie Eilish has discussed her feelings about social media. Back in September 2021, during a conversation with British rapper Stormzy for i-D magazine, she opened up about the conflict she feels between wanting to keep certain aspects of her life private and her desire to connect with others.

She shared that she feels conflicted about it. She said that she doesn’t always want to tell the world intimate details about her life, she doesn’t want people to know everything about her, but at the same time, she wants people to be able to feel seen and heard if they’ve experienced the same things she have.

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