Why Ed Sheeran is wrong to 'quit' Social Media

It was announced this week that Ed Sheeran, arguably the most famous artist on the planet is to take some time out away from music, emails and his phone to travel the world.  During this time he wants to "stop seeing the world through a screen" and through his own eyes.

With 16 million+ Twitter followers and 5.5 million+ subscribers on Instagram, he is one of the most followed British celebrities on Social Media. But Ed has decided he is quitting all social media until at least next autumn. 

Even his family and friends will not be hearing from him.  "if you love me, you will understand me buggering off for a bit" he said.

Quitting social media is in danger of becoming fashionable. Essena O’Neill, an Australian teenager who had become an Instagram star with more than half a million followers, recently left, describing it as “contrived perfection made to get attention”. At 18 she said she could make a good living recommending products to readers, but instead deleted more than 2,000 photographs, which she said “served no real purpose other than self-promotion”. She posted that she was quitting all social media – “for me, personally, it consumed me. I wasn’t living in a 3D world” – though it transpired she was actually launching a new website.

Some see Ed's decision as being very irresponsible and not understanding Social Media and it's benefits.  We aren't sure if this is a decision he has personally made or if his PR team have advised him that this is a good idea (because when he rejoin's he will be more popular than ever, Like Oasis breaking up for no reason to cash in on the big comeback tour a few years later).  

Social Media is a form of online communication, and in today's age it's seen as part of everyday communication and not a chore.  Personally i feel that Ed Sheeran is making out Social Media is too time consuming for his plans and impossible to fit into his life for the most part of 2016.  This comes across as a very arrogant and selfish reason as i feel he has a responsibility to continue communicating online with the fans/ people that helped him get to where he is today.  There are millions of people that look up to and respect Ed as a musician and as a man but many feel he is turning his back on them and his sponsors.

For those that truly understand Social Media and how it can work alongside your life plans, many have suggested that Ed should be using it to document his travels and capture his memories that aren't just his they are also for everyone that want to be apart of his journey.  

When you live your life in the public eye you can't just switch the attention on and off when you feel like it.  Unfortunately that is not how life works and when you are on top of your game you often need the support more than ever because as we know your fortune's in the music and entertainment industry and change overnight.