Chimamanda Adichie, the award-winning author, says she has not read or searched about herself online since 2005.
Speaking in an interview with YouTuber Shade Samagbeyi, the author said she has made a decision never to look up or read anything about herself on the internet again to protect herself from the harmful side of online spaces.
She explained that searching about oneself only leads to battling “faceless ghosts”, which can distort reality and affect one’s mental health.
The author said she believes ignorance of such negativity allows her to create freely, stressing that if she had paid attention to what people wrote, she might not have become the person she is today.
“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.
“Moreover, you can’t battle faceless ghosts. If you’re searching for yourself all the time, what you’re really doing is battling faceless ghosts and it’s bad for you mentally. It distorts your view of reality.
“For me, at least to stay focused on what I want to do, the background noise has to be blocked. There are so many people who write without knowing how deeply they affect someone’s life through it.
“Several celebrities have committed suicide because they were so wounded by what these faceless ghosts wrote about them.
“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.
“But 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.”
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