With changing times come transitioning values. And if one can guess correctly, every conductive manual of the 21st century rests on social media and its authority. Social significance is truly a soil of muddy steps, especially for the current onlookers of Tinseltown, since without active social exchange, recognition remains bleak. Over time, several high-profile artists have suffered in curating a social image due to their disinclination to give in to it, ultimately weakening their social personality. Mark Ruffalo, a seasoned star, also struggled to find a direction with the overbearing domination of social media. 

Despite his long haul of contributions in Hollywood, it seems that when it comes to social media, Ruffalo has a term for its tyranny.

Social media’s coercive power makes Mark Ruffalo skeptical

Recently, the Oscar nominees of 2024 sat down for an Oscar preview interview with Deadline among which Mark Ruffalo too, was a part. While listing out his career milestones before his Oscar face-off with Robert Downey Jr., Ruffalo went explicit about the current age of social media and how it has been significant in amplifying his nerves of self-criticism. Looking back at his long sail in Hollywood, the actor pointed fingers at the Internet and social media for its “oppressive role” in branding an actor. 

The actor further expressed having felt like being “stuck” in limbo despite his “creative” efforts. He recalled that the first time he felt the oppressor’s eye was during his shooting days of Duncan. Ruffalo added further how after a certain age in the industry, the feeling had come without reservation that he was “on the other side of it”, making him introspect his saturation point. 

Although Ruffalo’s explicit stance on social media’s influence on stardom banks on negativity, he is not the only person to raise these concerns. 

Jennifer Aniston and Ana de Armas’s mirroring perspectives on social media

Social media is indeed a prison, but unfortunately, Mark Ruffalo is not the only victim. Similar accounts of struggle with stardom have also marked the prey of several celebrities and, among them, Ana de Armas and Jennifer Aniston record a significant one. Ana de Armas, while talking to Vanity Fair last year, expressed her concerns with social media’s “oversharing” syndrome. She emphasized how the social gates have left no ounce of “mystery” for movie stars. 

Aniston also felt similarly while talking to Allure Magazine in 2022 regarding her delayed social appearance. For her as well, the concept of “movie stars” lacked the profound significance it used to have before the age of social media, since mass interference leaves little scope for secrecy. While it may have led the actresses to limit their social exchange, for Ruffalo, its contribution to his insecurity makes a compelling case for social media’s staggering pitfalls. 

What do you think of Mark Ruffalo’s stance on social media’s oppression? Let us know in the comments below!