UK artist Ed Sheeran announced on social media app Instagram this morning that he is taking a break from his phone, social media, and emails until late 2016.
The superstar singer explained in the post that whilst travelling the world for tours “I find myself seeing the world through a screen and not my eyes,” and that without any current commitments he is taking the opportunity to “travel the world and see everything I missed.” He joins a league of celebrities quitting social media, either temporarily or permanently, including social media celebrity Essina O’Neill, and Stephen Fry, who has become known as a “serial social media quitter.”
Sheeran’s fame rose exponentially due to social media. As a teenager and early into his career, he promoted his self-produced first EPs and busked for a living before finding success with his album ‘+’ so it is unsurprising that he wants a change. Before heading off Sheeran will undergo surgery for a ruptured eardrum, which was injured in March of this year when he jumped off a yacht in Spain.
While the news is devastating to his 16 million Twitter followers and 5.5 million Instagram followers, Sheeran made sure to emphasize to his fans that this was not the end of his musical career. It is a much-needed sabbatical after 5 years of album recording and touring, and Sheeran ended the announcement by saying that his third album is “the best thing I have made thus far.” Even the artist’s family and friends won’t be hearing from him for a while. Sheeran said “to my family and friends, if you love me you will understand me buggering off for a bit.”