The Cure’s Robert Smith and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe leave social media over concerns of misinformation

Two of music’s most charismatic frontman both leave social media over the same weekend 🎶
  • Two of the biggest names in music have revealed they’re leaving social media this week.
  • Robert Smith of The Cure has left X, but will still be on other social media platforms.
  • Meanwhile R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe is taking a “break” from Instagram due to changes to the company’s fact-checking programme.

The backlash towards social media continues after the weekend, with The Cure’s Robert Smith announcing he is leaving X (formerly Twitter), though not closing all his social media.

In a post on the Elon Musk-owned platform on Sunday (January 19 2025), Smith posted “19th January 2025. Time to go. Any other account on twitter claiming to be me is a lie.

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Robert Smith has revealed over the weekend he is to leave X/Twitter, but will be on other social media platforms such as BlueSky.Robert Smith has revealed over the weekend he is to leave X/Twitter, but will be on other social media platforms such as BlueSky.
Robert Smith has revealed over the weekend he is to leave X/Twitter, but will be on other social media platforms such as BlueSky.

I may from time to time be here,” followed by a series of links to his Mastodon and Blue Sky account.

Smith then finished his post in trademark sardonic fashion, admitting that if you can’t find him there, he “will likely be outside.”

Smith has previously expressed reservations about social media in a 2011 interview with The Guardian, mentioning he had profiles on various platforms but admitted to never actively using them. He stated, "I'm there because otherwise, someone's going to pretend to be me." This sentiment reflects his discomfort with the pervasive nature of online connectivity.”

It marks the second big name in the world of music taking social media to account; R.E.M’s Michael Stipe had called on musicians over the weekend to embark on a blackout of Meta, due to concerns the platform is amplifying far-right content.

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In a post on his Instagram account, also on Sunday, the Losing My Religion singer explained “I’’ll be logged off for the week. Starting tomorrow. Please consider doing the same so corporations like Meta can imagine there might be consequences for helping advance the far right in America and worldwide.

“Or are we too addicted [that] we can’t log off even for one week?”

Do you think that more musicians are set to leave social media in the 12 months ahead, or do you think that only certain musicians are concerned about the likes of X and Facebook? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

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