Award-winning Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has opened up on why she has avoided reading or searching for information about herself online since 2005.
Speaking in an interview with YouTuber Shade Samagbeyi, the celebrated novelist explained that her decision is to protect her mental health from the negativity that often comes with online spaces.
According to Adichie, constantly searching about oneself online only leads to “battling faceless ghosts,” which distorts reality and can harm one’s creativity and well-being.
“Since 2005, I have never read or searched about myself, and I never will, because I think it is important to protect yourself from the terrible part of the internet,” she said.
She further noted that many celebrities have struggled, and some have even taken their own lives, due to the weight of negative online commentary.
“For me, at least to stay focused on what I want to do, the background noise has to be blocked. Several celebrities have committed suicide because they were so wounded by what these faceless ghosts wrote about them,” she added.
Adichie stressed that ignoring online negativity has allowed her to freely express herself without being weighed down by public opinion.
“If I had started off reading what people said, I wouldn’t have written and said the things I did. I wouldn’t have become who I am, because I would have been constantly thinking about what people say,” she explained.
The Half of a Yellow Sun author concluded that choosing not to search about herself online is an act of self-preservation, adding: “There is a kind of wonderful ignorance of stupidity that helps you do what you want to do. So, I never search for myself. I will not do it. It’s unhealthy.”
