Donald Glover's Twitter page is blank and he never personally posts on any of his other accounts. He's been absent from social media since late 2014, but longtime fans remember a time when he used to be very active and share deeply personal messages. So, what happened?
In a new interview with The New Yorker, writer Tad Friend tells a story about watching Glover discuss social media with Atlanta writer Stefani Robinson. Friend says Glover calls the internet "horrible in every way" and explains, "I felt like social media was making me less human, and I already didn’t feel that human."
When Robinson asks Glover why he doesn't tell people that, he responds, "Because they would kill this ni**a!" Then he adds, "Those corporations don’t want anyone to stop the money train."
Hearing this, Robinson challenges Glover and asks, "So you know better but you’re keeping the truth quiet—doesn’t that make you complicit?" Glover responds, "A coward, you mean? No, it makes me human. All we’re here to do is survive and procreate, pass on our information."
In a recent interview with Esquire, Glover further explained, "I realized that connection was too powerful for a person like me. I just would get hurt." Now, he prefers to use the internet in an anonymous way, free of the "Donald Glover" name. "I try and find subcultures. I try and find communities. I talk to people as a regular person. It’s the only place you can be anonymous."
