I am captivated, better yet obsessed, with all things celebrity. I love following the escapades of the rich and famous, always ready to see what kind of web they will tangle themselves up in next. Before the days of social media, you had to wait for TMZ, or whatever pop culture news source you chose, to break to news to you. But in today’s world, the life of a celebrity is laid elegantly before the public, leaving us to scrutinize every single dirty detail.

Many stars have their own social media accounts which are completely open to the public. The majority of them only allow a slight glimpse into their lives, teasing us normal folk with pictures of their oh-so glamorous lifestyle. We are left craving more, more pictures, more juicy gossip and deeper look into the life that we all think we want. We can only dream.

But some stars leave little to the imagination. There is a new, younger group of celebrities who are more in touch with their fans than ever before. These stars know how to use social media to their advantage, garnering more loyal fans than ever thought possible. Rather than sheltering their private lives from the eye of the public, they put them on full display for us to admire. But not everything is wealth and roses.

No celebrities are more famous for promoting their lives through social media than Chris Brown and Rihanna. Not only was their torrid romance exploited through means of the television and the Internet, but these kids have also embraced social media as a tool for sorting out the matters of their private life. When the infamous photo of Rihanna’s battered face was first leaked to the public, it instantly went viral spreading over the recesses of the Internet. Since then, the couple’s relationship has been anything but kept under wraps. Brown regularly stars in violent Twitter feuds with any who dare cross his path. Additionally, the couple has broadcasted their love-triangle-esque relationship with model, and Chris’ ex Karrueche Tran, through the trendy photo sharing app. Instagram. Brown and Rihanna have rekindled their passion and are flaunting it in front of family, friends, fans and anyone else with intrigued eyes.

The relationship between Rihanna, Chris Brown and Brown’s ex Karrueche Tran has dominated social network platform such as Instagram since it first began.

These young celebrities are the epitome of what it means to be a member of the Millennial generation, a generation obsessed with technology. While our parents concern themselves with issues of online privacy, for the Millennial generation everything and anything is fodder for the internet. Unfortunately, ordinary young people are all too keen to imitate the likes of their idols, such as Brown and Rihanna, and do not hesitate to post anything they deem fit, including the most intimate details of their personal life.

On Janurary 30th, Chris Brown announced that he is removing himself from the relm of social media, stating,

” … social media takes away the essence of why we are even special or icons. So with that, I’m detaching myself from that world.”

This isn’t the first time Brown has left his online persona behind. Time will only tell if he is taking a permanent hiatus or if this is just another temporary break. Either way, I’ll be refreshing my Instagram every 5 minutes until his return.

The Social Butterfly