John Mayer is Staying Away from Twitter and the Media

John Mayer is taking a break from Twitter and the media. According to People Magazine, John Mayer has announced that he is "done with the media game."

He posted his last tweet on Wednesday February 9. "I just wanted to play the guitar for people. Everything else just sort of popped up and I improvised, and kept doubling down on it..."

This is not the first time that John Mayer has taken a break from the media and social networking. In December 2009, the guitarist announced on his blog that he was doing a "one week digital cleanse." He promised to abstain from Twitter, other social networking sites, text messaging, and various entertainment blogs. He described his one week digital cleans as a mental and psychological defragmentation.

Yet John Mayer's recent decision to avoid the media comes in the wake of a controversial Playboy interview where he suggested that he was not attracted to black women, made racially charged comments, and compared Jessica Simpson to "a sexual napalm." Given the firestorm that erupted on Twitter after the interview, I'm sure he'd like to take many of his comments back.

He spent several days on his Twitter account trying to make amends with disgruntled fans. "And while I'm using today for looking at myself under harsh light, I think it's time to stop trying to be so raw in interviews..." He also apologized for using the N-word but to no avail.

According to a People poll, 60 percent of readers do not believe that John Mayer's apology was sincere.

John Mayer Abstains From Twitter: An Understandable Decision

John Mayer joins a growing list of celebrities who have chosen to abandon their Twitter accounts. In December 2009, Chris Brown took it a step further by deleting his Twitter altogether. He took down his account hours after posting his final message, "I wanna thank my fans for all the support. Goodbye!"

MTV's Kyle Anderson pointed out that Lil Wayne and Jay-Z had also abandoned their Twitter accounts, observing that "Transparency is good, but as many stars are learning, sometimes it's good to take a step back."

While I don't condone the comments John Mayer made in his Playboy interview, I fully sympathize with his decision to abstain from social networking. I am currently taking a two-month trial break from Facebook and although the withdrawal symptoms are glaring, I don't regret this decision. Deactivating my Facebook account has allowed me to prioritize other areas of my life and to gradually become more productive in my work.

Nobody understands the pitfalls of social networking more than Miley Cyrus who infamously deleted her Twitter account and gave us a fond send-off in her Good-bye Twitter Rap which continues to circulate on YouTube. She complained about the lack of privacy and how the media had insinuated "fake feuds with Demi [Lovato]."

While John Mayer is no angel, he would likely agree with Miley Cyrus when she rapped, "I ain't livin' for the tabloids. I'm living for me."

Sources:

John Mayer: Scared Tweetless?, People Magazine

John Mayer Twitter

VIDEO: John Mayer Gets Emotional over Jessica Simpson Sex Talk, People Magazine

Playboy Interview: John Mayer, Playboy

Chris Brown Joins Miley Cyrus And Lil Wayne In Leaving Twitter Behind, MTV

Good-bye Twitter, YouTube