Ed Sheeran, the British singer-songwriter with a striking mop of ginger hair, has quit Twitter. And it's all the fault of mean people being mean. Or at least that's what he inferred in an interview with a British tabloid newspaper. Which just shows bullying can affect anyone and everyone.

I have been on Twitter for a long time, and I love it. For the most part. So much so that I once wrote an article listing reasons to start using Twitter. I still think it's a nice place to play, but then I don't belong to any of the groups which tend to get trolled. Which clearly includes celebrities.

Celebrities Read Mean Tweets

Sheeran told The Sun:

"I’ve actually come off Twitter completely. I can’t read it. I go on it and there’s nothing but people saying mean things. Twitter’s a platform for that. One comment ruins your day. But that’s why I’ve come off it. The head-f*** for me has been trying to work out why people dislike me so much."

Sheeran's frustration at the unending criticism he receives on Twitter was evident in a tweet he authored after his headline set at the Glastonbury Festival. Some viewers not used to seeing Sheeran play live accused him of miming to a backing track; a claim he strongly refuted.

Whether Sheeran has actually quit Twitter for good or is just taking a temporary break until his next album drops remains to be seen. Perhaps he's just getting better at filtering the bad tweets from the good tweets, embracing his fans while ignoring the haters spewing endless hate.

Whatever the truth, this is a pertinent reminder that Twitter affords fans (and haters) the sort of access to celebrities that simply wasn't possible just 10 years ago. On the one hand this is refreshing, but there will always be trolls tweeting celebrities just to tell them that they suck.

You've Got to Pay the Troll Toll

Ed Sheeran isn't the first celebrity to quit Twitter, and he certainly won't be the last. I get the feeling celebrities join Twitter thinking they'll only attract fans, before realizing that trolls exist to ruin their day. The trolls aren't going away, so what can we do to solve this problem?

Do you like Ed Sheeran? Do you follow him on Twitter? As a fan are you sorry to hear he's having a tough time on Twitter? Or should Sheeran learn to block, mute, filter, and ignore the haters ruining his Twitter experience? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Eva Rinaldi via Flickr