Award-winning author, Chimamanda Adichie, has said that she has never read or searched for information about herself online since 2005.
News360 Info reports that Chimamanda made this known during an interview with YouTuber, Shade Samagbeyi, stating that she has made a decision never to search or read anything about herself on the internet again, to protect herself from the harmful aspects of online spaces.
According to the novelist, searching about oneself only leads to battling ‘faceless ghosts’, which can distort reality and affect one’s mental health.
The author said she believes that ignorance of such negativity allows her to create freely, noting that several celebrities have committed suicide due to write-ups from ‘faceless ghosts’
Chimamanda added that if she had paid attention to what people wrote, she might not be the person she is today.
She wrote, “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.
“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.”
