Demi Lovato avoids social media comments but has ‘compassion for the online haters’

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Demi Lovato says that she chooses to lead with compassion when it comes to her online haters.

In an interview with People, the 31-year-old “Sorry Not Sorry’ singer reflected on her relationship with social media, and how it has improved over time. She shared that shifting her perspective helped her deal with online vitriol.

“My relationship with social media has evolved over the years from looking to the internet for validation to not looking at internet comments at all,” she explained to the outlet. “If I happen to see something negative, it doesn’t affect me the way that it used to.”

“And I don’t know if that’s just with age or how many years I’ve been in the public eye, I just don’t let it sit with me the way that it used to. It doesn’t hold power over me the way that it used to,” Lovato added. “And that’s really refreshing, and it’s like I don’t mind what other people have to say about me.”

By being intentional about what she exposes herself to on social media, Lovato said that she’s able to keep a good head on her shoulders. She typically aims to “keep it positive” and makes sure not to take a “dive in the comment section,” so that she doesn’t expose herself to negativity.

The two-time Grammy nominee noted, “I have an understanding that the people that are commenting mean things lack awareness or they lack self-love and respect because anybody that’s navigating from a higher sense of good, they’re not going to comment anything like that on someone’s page.”

“And if they really love themselves, they’re not focusing on other people,” she continued. “So I have compassion for the haters online, too.”

Lovato previously opened up about her social media strategy while speaking at the inaugural Hollywood & Mind Summit Thursday in May of last year. She noted to the audience that staying away from online negativity helps her keep a lid on her mental health struggles, including bipolar disorder which she was diagnosed with at 18.

“I was so relieved that I had finally had a diagnosis,” Lovato added. “I had spent so many years struggling, and I didn’t know why I was a certain way in dealing with depression at such extreme lows, when I seemingly had the world in front of me just ripe with opportunities.”

She said that avoiding social media comments helps her protect her inner peace.

“If I see something negative, it’s going to hurt my feelings, and if I see something positive, it’s going to feed into that outside validation that I’ve worked so hard to not need, and that goes back to my child star days of needing outside validation,” the musician explained. “So, I don’t look at comments because [they’re] either going to hurt me or feed that.”

The pop star has had a long journey towards the self-acceptance she feels today, having battled substance abuse issues and bouts of eating disorders for years. Her recovery journey has been especially difficult due to added public scrutiny, but she concluded that she’s decided to give herself grace amid the ups and downs.