Being a celebrity on Instagram is a difficult task. While you would want to use the app to keep in touch with your fans and make your brand seem more 'personable', it also opens you up to a wave of hostility and controversy.
Take the Kardashians for example. The family - who are arguably the most famous on earth - all use social media to expand their reach and engage with their fans. However, in recent weeks, we've seen Kylie Jenner delete all photos of her baby from her Instagram and Khloe Kardashian argue with her fans over her relationship with Tristan Thompson.
It could be argued, then, that social media gives people too much access to the lives of their idols and therefore makes them feel like they know them and can say whatever they like to them - something that was argued by Julia Roberts when she spoke about why she doesn't use social media:
“[Social media is] kind of like cotton candy: It looks so appealing and you just can’t resist getting in there, and then you just end up with sticky fingers and it lasted an instant … There’s an anonymity that makes people feel safe to participate in hatefulness. I like a good old-fashioned fistfight if people are pissed off at each other. I just feel like if you’re really mad and want to have a fight, then put your dukes up.”
However, while Roberts and a few other celebrities may have their reasons for keeping off social media, the same can't be said for the majority of the Hollywood Elite. Ariel Winter, star of Modern Family, was the victim of online trolling after she posted a photo of herself in a grey tank top with her arms crossed.
In the image, Ariel can be seen waiting for her car to fill up with gas and captioned the photo: "Honestly the ONLY reason I’m posting this is because I’ve never seen a more accurate picture of myself."
However, despite the fact that the image is an honest depiction of what Winter looks like on the day-to-day and not when glammed-up for red carpets and other Instagram uploads, online trolls still couldn't help but rear their ugly heads.
The trolls took aim at Winter's looks and Sarah Hyland - her on-screen sister - decided to stick up for her co-star. “To all the pervs commenting on this post?” she wrote. “GET OFFLINE AND GET BACK TO YOUR BLOWUP DOLL YA CREEPS!”
The image was removed on a copyright violation, but Winter has since re-uploaded it, saying "they violated my space so I should at least be able to post it when I want to or just not be f**king photographed."
Winter also took the time to respond to one of the trolls, who wrote: "When you were perfect" along with a sad face. Replying to the idiot in question, Winter said: "This got taken of me two days ago."
Honestly, online trolls are just a bunch of weirdos. Do they genuinely not have anything better to do?
