Calling the internet "the ugliest reflection of mankind there is," rapper Iggy Azalea said last night that she would be leaving Twitter to get away from the negativity she finds online. "I feel the hatred and pettiness I see online at all times is at making me become an angry person and I cannot be that [sic]," she writes. Azalea specifically calls out paparazzi who took photos of her while on vacation and the hateful responses directed her way after the images' publication. "I just want to have peace and relaxation time without a perv with long distance lens hiding out taking pictures," she writes, "everyone deserves peace."
"The Internet is the ugliest reflection of mankind there is."
Though Azalea doesn't specifically call out harassment on Twitter, it doesn't take long to find body shaming and other hateful remarks directed her way while scrolling through replies to even these latest tweets. She calls out social media as being "too negative and draining," and says that her management will be taking over her Twitter account from today on.
While Azalea's concerns aren't limited to Twitter, her decision to quit the platform suggests that it played a big role. Twitter is well aware that harassment is an issue that it has to deal with, but it still hasn't made any significant moves to address it. Azalea isn't the first celebrity that's quit Twitter because of this issue, either: last year, Zelda Williams left the platform when people began harassing her after the death of her father. She's since returned (Azalea makes it sound as though she could eventually return, too), but it's no secret that Twitter has yet to do much to make the situation better.
But I also want to let my fans know iam taking some time away from social media. I need to be happy and it is too negative and draining.
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) February 19, 2015