Billie Eilish Calls Social Media Her “Cigarettes” In Honest Take On Internet Use
Billie Eilish is no stranger to speaking her mind, and this time she’s comparing social media to a bad habit she’s trying to quit. In a recent interview with Complex, the 22-year-old singer got candid about her complicated relationship with online platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
Asked about her presence on X, she responded that she is “off that s—.”
She went on to reveal that she had stepped away from Instagram and TikTok a few months ago, describing the break as “awesome.” However, staying off completely hasn’t been easy, especially when she’s on tour.
“I really love to interact with the fans when I’m on tour,” Billie explained, adding, “I love seeing all the videos and all the angles. I love seeing how people are feeling and thinking about the show. If I think something looks different, I want to change it.”
This desire to connect often pulls her back into the social media vortex. “So I go on the internet to see the videos that I want to see, but then I get sucked in. Then I get all f—ed up, and I’m stuck. So I’ve been back on it, but I am trying to get off. It’s my cigarettes. It’s really a problem,” she admitted.
Despite the downsides, Billie acknowledged the positives of social media, such as hosting Q&A sessions with fans on Instagram. “Some of it’s awesome and I love it and cherish it,” she said. “But again, people can make that kind of thing really hard. It’s sad to me. Some people ruin it for the rest of them.”
This isn’t the first time Billie has spoken out about her love-hate relationship with social media. In 2020, she confessed to the BBC that she stopped reading Instagram comments altogether because they were “ruining” her life. “It’s way worse than it’s ever been right now,” she said, adding, “It’s weird: the cooler the things you get to do are the more people hate you. It’s crazy.”
In a 2021 conversation with British artist Stormzy for i-D, Billie reflected on the delicate balance of sharing her life online. “I feel conflicted about it. I don’t always want to tell the world intimate details about my life, I don’t really want people to know everything about me, but at the same time, I want people to be able to feel seen and heard if they’ve experienced the same things I have,” she shared.
Still, Billie admits it’s not always her responsibility to open up. While she does not want to talk about her ordeals sometimes, she sees it as “a tough responsibility because it’s also not my responsibility. I don’t owe anyone anything.”
