Why Emma Stone Refuses to Join Instagram

Emma Stone says she prefers to stay off Instagram, and she recently explained why in an interview with Rolling Stone. The actress shared that protecting her mental health is the main reason she avoids the platform, even though she still enjoys watching what others post online.

The topic came up while she was talking about her new Super Bowl commercial. The ad will air between the first and second quarters of the game on Sunday, Feb. 8. It is a black-and-white spot where Stone tries to buy her own domain name. She admitted this was something she actually did in real life while working on the campaign.

When Rolling Stone asked if the domain could turn into a lifestyle website, she shut the idea down quickly. One hundred percent no. That’s why I don’t even have Instagram, she said. She explained that staying away from the app is a clear decision for her well-being. I’m too afraid of my own mental health to be engaged in that way, and that’s why I’m such a lurker and love following other people’s stuff.

Stone also shared that she only recently bought her own domain name because of the partnership. I don’t know [why] I never actually did that, she told the magazine. She joked that the web hosting company helped fix her lack of planning. Squarespace kind of had to deal with my lack of foresight. So I’m very grateful they did or else the commercial really would not have worked. It would have been weird if you went to EmmaStone.com and it was… I don’t even know what might have been going on over there.

Even though she avoids social media today, Stone said she has loved the internet since she was young. She remembered building simple websites on Angelfire and GeoCities in the early 2000s. I was really into that. I built a presentation for class when I was in elementary school and I remember that I had to bring people to the library to see my presentation. She said she loved designing menus and experimenting with the tools. I was really proud of my drop-down menus, and you know, all the things that you could do on Angelfire, basically. So I was very into that.

Her online habits changed over time. She said she used to read blogs a lot and now spends time reading Substack newsletters. I also remember the LiveJournal time, and I was such a blog reader for so long. It was like my favorite thing, and so now I’m truly one of the Substack freaks. I’m spending a lot of money on Substack. She enjoys creative writing, fashion commentary, and a bit of gossip.

While she keeps her digital life simple, her career is busy. Stone is heading toward the Academy Awards on March 15 with a Best Actress nomination for the sci-fi satire Bugonia. She also produced the movie, which is nominated for Best Picture. The film is her fourth project with director Yorgos Lanthimos. It stars Stone as a CEO kidnapped by conspiracy theorists who think she is an alien. Jesse Plemons and Alicia Silverstone also appear in the film.

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