Psychologist and author Jordan Peterson has announced he plans on leaving Twitter while complaining about the "endless flood" of insults he receives on the platform.
Peterson, who has more than 2.7 million followers on Twitter, described how he recently stopped accessing the social media site for three weeks as an "experiment" and then found that his life "instantly" got worse once he started using it again.
It is unclear what insults the divisive figure known for controversial opinions is referring to, but the remarks came after he was criticized for his tweet calling plus-size model Yumi Nu's Sports Illustrated cover "not beautiful" and that "no amount of authoritarian tolerance is going to change that."
In a series of tweets, Peterson explains that he will be "departing" Twitter once again and will soon write an article explaining further issues he has with the platform.
"I recently stopped accessing Twitter for three weeks as an experiment. I had some of my staff post video links etc. It was a genuine relief. I started to read & write more. I started using it again, a few days ago, and I would say that my life got worse again almost instantly," Peterson wrote.
"The endless flood of vicious [insults] is really not something that can be experienced anywhere else. I like to follow the people I know but I think the incentive structure of the platform makes it intrinsically and dangerously insane.
"So I told my staff to change my password, to keep me from temptation, and am departing once again. If I have something to say I'll write an article or make a video. If the issue is not important enough to justify that then perhaps it would be best to just let it go."
In another tweet, Peterson says he plans to write an article on the "technical reasons that Twitter is maddening," ending the post with "bye for now."
Despite leaving a goodbye message, Peterson continued to tweet several more times, including retweeting the controversial profile "Libs of TikTok"—an account accused of posting content designed to vilify the LGBTQ+ community—on three occasions.
Hours before he announced he was leaving, Peterson was highly criticized over his tweet about Nu, who became the first Asian-American plus-size model to feature on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
"Jordan Peterson gets to give this verdict of Yumi Nu bc he's just so god-damned good looking," tweeted comedian John Fugelsang in response to Peterson's "not beautiful" post.
Actor Ralph Garman wrote: "Or, and follow me here, you simply say 'That's not for me' and then promptly f**k off."
Peterson has been contacted for comment.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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