Jennifer Aniston Isn't Shy About Why She's Not A Fan Of Social Media
For years, Jennifer Aniston famously avoided social media, and the drama that could come with it. In the past, the "Friends" alum was asked why she had no online presence, and Aniston mentioned how she noticed people developing an unhealthy obsession with using apps. "Honestly, when I look around and see people constantly on their phones, I feel like we're missing so much," Aniston told Vogue in 2017. "I equate it to the tobacco industry," the veteran actor said while adding that social media could create additional challenges for the youth navigating their teenage years.
By 2019, Aniston finally relented and created an Instagram account. Her first post was a blurry selfie with her "Friends" co-stars. Fans flocked to the post, as Aniston gained over 116,000 followers in an hour, and the activity overwhelmed the platform to the point that it quickly crashed after the snap was uploaded, per The Guardian. The "We're the Millers" star was at a loss. "There is no more shocked face I could use. I'll also say I was very flattered," she told People when asked about making Instagram crash.
Even though she gained a massive following and has seemed comfortable online, Aniston has been critical of the relationship between social media and fame. "It's sort of almost like it's diluting our actor's job," she told Variety in June. Later, Aniston did not mince words when discussing why social media bothered her so much.
Why Jennifer Aniston finally joined Instagram
Even though Jennifer Aniston shines on Instagram by giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at filming, plus a glimpse of her goofy side, she herself is not a fan of posting online. "I hate social media," she told Allure for their December cover story. "I'm not good at it." While Aniston's foray into social media had been an indisputable success, it had come at a cost. "It's torture for me," the "Just Go with It" star said about being online. According to Aniston, the reason she joined Instagram was to promote her LolaVie haircare line. "Then the pandemic hit and we didn't launch. So I was just stuck with being on Instagram," she added. The "Murder Mystery" actor said she was grateful to experience a youth without worrying about cultivating an online presence.
That was not the first time Aniston spoke about the pitfalls of social media. Aniston discussed internet trolls during an interview in 2021. "What the tabloids and the media did to people's personal lives back then, regular people are doing now," she told The Hollywood Reporter. The actor thought online anonymity often brought out the worst in people. "And I don't know why there's such a cruel streak in society."
A couple years earlier, Aniston bashed social media for feeding people's need for attention, and creating a hunger for likes. As she told InStyle in 2019, "There's all this comparing and despairing."