Jennifer Aniston Reveals How Staying Away From Social Media Helped Her Reclaim Her Identity

Nowadays, it seems like social media has gotten a little out of control with cyberbullying, mom-shaming, and more. And since celebs already deal with lots of outside criticism, some stars like Jennifer Aniston have decided to stay away from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram altogether. In a new interview with Elle, Jen explained why she’s decided to keep her private life private and remain off of social media.

“It’s just self-preservation,” the 49-year-old star said about not having a Facebook or Twitter account. “The one thing I have is maintaining this little circle of sanctity that’s my own. If I’m sitting here posting something about my dogs or I’m Boomeranging my coffee mug in the morning, that’s just giving away one more piece of something that is mine.”

These days, Jennifer tries to keep the media out of her personal affairs as much as possible. She credited her new attitude to the harsh backlash that she received from fans shortly before her hit show Friends was going to end back in 2004.

“That was also a time, I think, when the internet was really taking off. The tabloids started painting me in a light that wasn’t true to who I was. Then I just was like, ‘Shut up and say nothing, because there’s nothing you can do,'” she remembered. “You can try to protest too much — ‘No, I’m not unhappy! No, I’m not this! I’m not that.’ I finally was like, ‘I’m done. I’m going to shut the doors. I’m going to tune it out. If somebody tries to talk to me, I’ll give one-word answers, and I will not be vulnerable.’ I’m way too sensitive to be misinterpreted, misconstrued, or taken out of context. I just started to shut down.”

Though Jennifer has found some solace staying offline, she admitted that she sometimes worries about how much she’s changed. “There are times when I’ve found myself becoming a little too isolated,” she shared. “I don’t want to become that person, either. I don’t want to lose touch with what’s out in the world.”

Jennifer has found it helpful to immerse herself in the various characters that she’s played over the years. Acting has become a way for her to create her own identity. “I didn’t want to just be that person in the tabloids. I also had to prove it to myself. I’m not just that, right?” she explained.

Jennifer continued, “Look, we’re all human at the end of the day. I’m really still working on it. That’s just my own PTSD of being… how do I say this… it’s getting easy to maneuver around the city. It’s a matter of choosing when I feel like I’m okay with having a bunch of people take a bunch of pictures of me.”

Jennifer, unfortunately, didn’t say if she would ever join the rest of the world on social media, but if there’s one thing that she’s sure of, it’s that she’s happy with the way she’s living her life today.