Why Britney Spears Is Taking A Break From Instagram (For Real This Time)

Britney Spears has had a lot of ups and downs in court in recent months, but in general she’s continued to share her mood on the social media platform Instagram, addressing her feelings after gaining some freedoms, going topless to “see herself in a lighter way,” and, of course, sharing the dance videos that have made her page notable. Now, as the “Free Britney” movement gains momentum in court, the lights have dimmed on Ms. Spears’ social, and those close to the pop star -- as well as the singer herself -- have explained why it’s happening.

This isn’t the first time that Spears has addressed wanting to take a break from social media. In fact, we thought she would be off Instagram for a time back in August, when she declared she was going to “post a little less from now on.” She seemingly changed her mind soon after and continued posting, that is until recently when it seems like cutting back on social media wasn’t drastic enough. Instead, Britney Spears has shut down her Instagram page.

Her fiancé Sam Asghari is still on Instagram, where you can see posts including the moment they announced their engagement and she shared her ring. However, Ms. Spears’ has not only paused from posting on Instagram, her whole page is currently unavailable.

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A few months back, while the “Free Britney” movement was starting to go into full swing, there were rumors rolling around that Britney Spears had a social media team approving her posts at one point. That was never confirmed, but in recent weeks the “Lucky” singer had seemingly been more and more open on her social pages. In case there were any lingering questions about what is going on here, a source close to the matter told Page Six that it was Spears’ choice to close shop on her Instagram for now, also explaining why the decision was seemingly made.

She’s happy and in a great place and silence can be a powerful thing and a powerful message. This was her decision.

It was later confirmed by Britney Spears’ lawyer Mathew Rosengart that the singer had, in fact, made the decision herself. In addition, Britney Spears may have shut off her Instagram for now, but she did send a message to her followers via Twitter to separately confirm that she herself had decided to take a break and that her engagement bliss was the reason for it, noting in a Tweet:

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It’s not as if the pop singer is the first celebrity to take a break from social media. In fact, some celebrities like Daisy Ridley have gotten off of social media platforms while others never joined in the first place. I think the reason people are probably so interested in Ms. Spears’ choice may have to do with her communicating with her fans frequently in recent weeks, particularly as her battle to force her father Jamie Spears out of her conservatorship has been waged rather publicly.

After all the speculation about Britney Spears’ voice being silenced and about her lack of control in her own narrative that came about after the Framing Britney Spears documentary, her Instagram became a place for her fans to connect with the singer in real time. I’m sure it will be disappointing for some to not be getting those constant updates, but the important thing is the singer is OK and says she made the choice for herself. Though we’ll keep you updated, of course, if she starts sharing with her fans again or if there is an update in her ongoing conservatorship case.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.