Paris Hilton Opens Up About The Perils of Social Media

As one of the original paparazzi targets of the early 2000s, Paris Hilton has seen a lot of trends come and go over the years. The heiress has been in the public eye for two decades, and although she has often been slammed for the way she presents her public persona, she has millions of fans all over the world.

With the release of her recent documentary, Hilton has been opening up more and more about the perils of life in the spotlight. Recently, she opened up to “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans about the pros and cons of social media. 

What is Paris Hilton best known for?

Hilton was born in 1981, and as one of the heiresses to the iconic Hilton Hotel chain, she was raised surrounded by privilege and wealth. She started modeling at a very young age, getting exposed to the LA nightclub scene. She was a hot topic when she was still a teenager, and by 2003, she was one of the most popular tabloid headline subjects.

That was also the year that her infamous sex tape was released — and while Hilton did not condone the release of the tape, it made waves, all the same, catapulting her popularity sky-high. Hilton became a reality TV star when her series The Simple Life was released.

All throughout the early 2000s, Hilton worked tirelessly to promote her brand, launching fragrances and fashion lines, and in 2012, she launched a new venture as a celebrity DJ. 

Paris Hilton is often credited for creating the current social media landscape

One thing has remained consistent in all the years that Hilton has been a star — her uncanny ability to create trends, as well as redefine her own goals. She has also done a lot to create the current social media landscape, with many critics claiming that Hilton is largely responsible for building the “cult of celebrity” that influences social media platforms.

“Everyone’s taking selfies and flaunting their lives to an online audience that obsessively follows, likes, and shares,” a Paper Magazine article details. “But Hilton did it first — she’s the ultimate OG.”

Acclaimed Hollywood director Bert Marcus, in the same article, had this to say about Hilton’s career as a social media star: “Paris is the OG influencer and helped write the script on how to build a brand through social media.” Still, Hilton is the first one to recognize that social media has some definite pitfalls. 

What did Paris Hilton say about the perils of social media?

In a recent episode of “Hot Ones,” host Sean Evans asked Hilton what makes her proud to be the “original influencer,” compared to the things that make her feel as though social media has gotten out of hand. Hilton stated that she feels as though she’s always been “ahead of her time” as far as doing some things on social media first and that she’s proud that she contributed to creating new careers on social media, where people can build a brand and support themselves by just being themselves.

On the other hand, Hilton said “the thing that bothers me is, I can’t even imagine being a 13-year-old girl and having those pressures….with people trolling you and being mean. No one should base their self-worth on the opinion of strangers.” Ultimately, Hilton said that “social media is fun, but you can’t take it too seriously, or it will make you go crazy.”