Kate Upton made her mark on the world thanks to social media. But now, the 24 year-old Sports Illustrated swimsuit model has a much different opinion on the world of Twitter and Instagram.
“I feel like social media at this point is kind of b******t,” she wildly declares in the new issue of Net-A-Porter magazine. “At the beginning it was amazing and a lot of fun. It was like, ‘Cool, I can talk to my fans!’ And now I think that we’re losing the art of it.”
While it’s easy to assume Kate’s feelings on social media are directed at the haters, it’s actually the opposite. Upton feels that marketing agencies have taken the genuine interactions and spontaneous moments away from sites like Twitter, stealing away what drew her to the platforms to begin with.
“When I joined Twitter it was just me, but [when] you’ve got contracts, it’s so planned. Now it’s about who has the best marketing, not who has a really good personality.”
As for those aforementioned Internet trolls? Upton does recognize the perils of posting to sites like Instagram, where anonymous commenters can cause anyone, much less a supermodel, a mountain of distress. That’s why Kate merely shrugs off the negative comments.
“I’ve heard people say, you put yourself in that position to be judged. But no,” she argues, “I put myself in that position because I really liked that photographer, I wanted to do that piece of work. Not to be judged. The internet can be horrible, so I just don’t look at it anymore.”
Still, even Kate finds there is some benefit to staying connected. “Maybe a little hate is good for me. Because if I’m in a spot where everyone loves me, I won’t try as hard.”
Upton shot to the top of the modeling charts after signing a contract with Guess to be the face of the franchise in 2010. That gig helped her land the coveted Sports Illustrated cover now occupied by Hannah Davis .
According to the Florida Today , Upton is also an avid animal rights activist and humanitarian. Kate most recently partnered with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office for their “Grand Slam Adoption Event” before the Washington Nationals-Detroit Tigers spring training game last week.
Upton’s most recent accomplishment includes People ‘s first ever Sexiest Woman of the Year award late last year. Kate joked in her speech that winning this award, while well-deserved among the masses, “must kind of suck” for her brother. No word yet on whether he will he will be removing himself from social media anytime soon.
[Kate Upton photo credit: Michael Loccisano / Getty Images]
