Most Abused Celebrity On Twitter

It's no secret the anonymity of the internet emboldens people to say things they might otherwise never say in person.

As the widely popular "Jimmy Kimmel Live" skit "Celebrities Read Mean Tweets" illustrates, these messages can get pretty aggressive at times and even downright nasty.

However, many celebrities endure these malicious attacks regularly, and some can be outrageous. To learn more, we dived into over 6 million tweets over the course of a year to determine which famous personalities, actors, musicians, and athletes receive the most messages containing words such as "ugly," "stupid," or "loser." Read on to see what we learned about the celebrities receiving the most online abuse.

Feeling the Hate

With roughly 330 million monthly active users and hundreds of millions of tweets sent from keyboards and smartphones - it's no shock that not everything shared on Twitter is positive.

As it turns out, the two celebrities who've endured the most abusive Twitter tirades have more in common than just friendship. Nearly 7 percent of tweets directed at Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer in the last year included insulting words. Both women are no stranger to controversy, and in November 2017, Dunham had to walk back on her comments after defending a writer on her hit show "Girls" after he was accused of sexual assault.

Hollywood actresses aren't the only celebrities experiencing such a barrage of negative words from the internet. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, British pop star Lily Allen, and "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling (who hasn't been shy about her political opinions of late) each ranked among the most insulted figures analyzed.

Tweets Taken Too Far

While some of the attacks on Twitter were geared toward a celebrity's career or performance - some of the comments made online crossed the line into more dangerous territory: sexual harassment.

Sexism online isn't new, and even during a year dominated by the #MeToo movement - designed to bring the vicious and commonplace nature of sexual abuse into the spotlight - we found some female celebrities were still harassed by anonymous Twitter users. By searching for terms like "sl-t," "sk-nk," and "wh-re," we identified which famous personalities received the most sexist tweets.

With nearly 2 percent of Twitter remarks including the sexist words identified, Nicki Minaj was the most harassed celebrity over the 12-month span studied. Britney Spears, "Modern Family" actress Ariel Winter (who turned 19 in 2017), and Amy Schumer faced similarly abusive Twitter attacks.

Nothing Nice to Say

Cyberbullying - the act of harassing someone online - affects more than 1 in 4 students across the country. But adolescents aren't the only ones experiencing these digital taunts and offenses - celebrities deal with it too.

The two female celebrities who received the most abusive tweets were attacked for one thing in particular: their appearance. Amy Schumer received the most messages that included "fat," while Lena Dunham was the most frequent recipient of tweets containing "ugly." While both women have been outspoken in their criticism of the idealized (and unrealistic) beauty standards portrayed by the media, they've also endured unrelenting attacks for their physical appearance.

Anderson Cooper had the greatest number of comments with the word "stupid," and tweets for Harry Styles, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ryan Seacrest most commonly included "rude."

The Gender Insult Gap

From experiencing body shaming to being criticized for their roles as mothers, female celebrities are often held to a different standard than their male counterparts, and social media is no exception.

According to our analysis, female celebrities often endured over 30 percent more insulting tweets than men. We found more than 2 percent of tweets directed toward female celebrities included terms or phrases like "atrocious," "overrated," and "kill yourself," compared to just 1.6 percent for men.

While these insulting posts were more commonly geared toward journalists and authors, female athletes, models, and personalities also encountered higher percentages of insulting tweets than other celebrities.

International Insults

Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer were the two most insulted celebrities on Twitter when the attackers were based in the U.S, and the actresses have been known to fight back against disparaging remarks.

Many male celebrities were most insulted by U.S. Twitter users included Anderson Cooper, Kevin Durant, and Ben Affleck, who received the greatest number of comments that used words such as "awful," "disgusting," and "ugly."

In Canada, more men experienced the most insulting digital diatribe. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Seacrest, and Harry Styles were the most likely to be shamed or mocked online, while Perez Hilton (known for passing out his fair share of bullying and controversy) was the most insulted celebrity in Brazil.

Keeping Things Positive

Despite the onslaught of negativity, sexual harassment, and insults - plenty of people utilize Twitter to bestow praise and positive recognition on the celebrities they love. While social media may often earn a poor reputation for its impact on impressionable minds, some research suggests social media can provide a community, allowing people with similar passions or opinions to connect in ways that might not be physically possible.

According to the more than 6 million Twitter posts analyzed, Harry Styles (formerly of One Direction) was the most complimented celebrity on the web. More than 1 in 5 tweets directed toward or mentioning Styles included terms like "charming," "fantastic," and "perfect."

Actress Margot Robbie, Aziz Ansari, and Blake Lively also were the most complimented celebrities on Twitter, with more than 1 in 10 comments bestowing them with kind words and flattering remarks. Two of the "Final Five," Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman and Simone Biles additionally received high praise. Both have spoken up against sexual assault in the past few months, earningsupport from fans and fellow gymnasts.

Threads of Positivity

The internet can be a tricky place to navigate, but some celebrities are more likely to receive affable accolade than others. Whether it's for their good looks or skills on camera, Tom Hiddleston, Gal Gadot, and Will.i.am were the most commonly referenced celebrities when compliments like "amazing" were thrown around on Twitter.

Female actresses Margot Robbie, Olivia Munn, and "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke received the most comments spotlighting their notoriously good looks, while Neil Patrick Harris, Tom Hiddleston (again), and Millie Bobby Brown from the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things" got the most credit for being "talented." When it came to professing, "I love you" to celebrities, Louis Tomlinson took the lead, but every other former member of One Direction also made the top 10.

Dissecting Twitter Talk

Despite the sheer volume of negative attacks celebrities face daily on Twitter (including insults and sexual harassment), there's no denying the impact this social media platform has on other spheres like business or politics. As a powerful marketing tool with millions of active users, you sometimes have to look past the internet "trolls" to find the community you're trying to connect with.

At Twiends, we won't just help you grow your Twitter audience (responsibly we might add) - we'll also help you understand the ins and outs of engagement and marketing with this social media heavyweight. From basic tips and tricks like how to write attention-grabbing tweets to utilizing Twitter ads and featured promotions, we're here to help you grow your brand organically through our tried and tested methods. To learn more, visit us at Twiends.com.

Methodology

We scraped over 6 million tweets sent to 112 celebrities from November 2016 to December 2017. Each celebrity had anywhere from 1,000 to over 500,000 total tweets. Celebs with less than 26 tweets were excluded from an asset.

A tweet was counted as an insult if it contained one or more of the following words or phrases: "hate," "f you," "worst," "awful," "you suck," "idiot," "ugly," "stupid," "jerk," "ahole," "gross," "nasty," "moron," "kill yourself," "dumb," "rude," "fat," "nasty," "overrated," "fake," "whiny," "disgusting," "bad," "atrocious," "loser," and/or "has-been."

A tweet was counted as a sexist insult if it contained one or more of the following words: "sl-t," "wh-re," "bimbo," "b-tch," and/or "skank." Tweets including "shaming," "shame," or "shamed" were excluded.

A tweet was counted as a compliment if it contained one or more of the following words or phrases: "beautiful," "gorgeous," "kind," "nice," "best," "smart," "brilliant," "lovely," "stunning," "angel," "unique," "gracious," "charming," "amazing," "creative," "talented," "clever," "fantastic," "you rock," "handsome," "I love you," "wonderful," "flawless," and/or "perfect."

Sources

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