Controversial vlogger PewDiePie deactivated his Twitter account late on Monday after he made the announcement he was going to take a break from YouTube. In a video posted on his channel, the vlogger said that he "doesn't like the constant posturing that goes on there," and that what annoys him about social media is that virtue signalling "gets rewarded."
He said that "it's not always easy to tell what is genuine online" and called social media a "cesspool of opinion, and more often than not the people who boast about being virtuous often reveals to be hiding the fact that they are not."
PewDiePie's latest video was primarily about his current study of Greek philosophers. He brings up Aristotle to answer the question of what is virtuous: "virtue is habit... you can't teach someone how to be a good person or how to act the right way, it comes through practice. One good act doesn't make you a virtuous person..." He contrasted that to the reality of social media, saying that "for many of us there exists a gap between what we perceive ourselves of being capable of and what we have actually achieved, and this gap creates anxiety for us."
Social media users reacted to PewDiePie's Twitter deactivation.
PewDiePie, whose career toppled after allegations of racism and anti-Semitism, recently said he is "feeling very tired" and will take a break from YouTube. PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, is one of the highest earners on the website.
"I am taking (a) break from YouTube next year," he said in a video uploaded over the weekend. "I wanted to say it in advance because I made up my mind. I'm tired, I'm feeling very tired. I don't know if you can tell ... early next year I'll be away for a little while. I'll explain that later but I wanted to give a heads up."
