Selena Gomez praised for speaking on Hailey Bieber death threats while Justin Bieber is criticised

As Selena Gomez reigns supreme as the Queen of Social Media, such great power has brought with it an even greater responsibility it would seem. Gomez has hit out at trolls who have engaged in the tribalistic nature of internet popularity, using her platform to sound out against cyberbullying - in particular, the treatment of Hailey Bieber.

Taking to her Instagram and engaging her devout followers, Gomez wrote: “Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity. This isn't what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I've always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”

The threats Hailey Bieber has been receiving stem from a perceived “mean girl” image that internet fans have cultivated towards the wife of pop star Justin Bieber - who himself has become the target of criticism for his perceived lack of support towards his beleaguered wife.

Users on the social media platform Twitter were quick to show the contrasting actions between Selena Gomez - the celebrity that Bieber is said to have beef with - and Justin Bieber: “Selena Gomez really defended Hailey Bieber AGAIN before her own husband did now THAT’S embarrassing,” wrote one user, while another commented “That fact that Selena Gomez tells her fans to stop the bullying Hailey shows the kind of person she is. She’s defending Hailey and I haven’t really even seen Justin defend her! That's just sad in my opinion.“

But the responsible nature of Gomez to try and end the TikTok feud hasn’t been without detractors, with those who have already chosen a side still commenting on the perceived “ceasefire” between the pair. “I’ve been spending too much time on TikTok so know more than I should about this drama,” one Twitter user admitted. “But I just want to say: Selena Gomez isn’t responsible for the internet’s conduct. That Hayley (Hailey?) Bieber reached out to her about; this is gaslighting.”

Another simply wrote, “Everything I learn about Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber's situation is against my own will.”

Gomez returned to Instagram after a self-imposed break from the platform and in doing so became the most-followed female on the platform with 390 million followers, beating the former holder of the title Kendall Jenner. 

With a large platform being used to quell the feud between herself and Hailey Bieber, it looks like she’s using her newfound power for the betterment of social media and to the disdain of the toxic fandom both herself, Hailey and Justin find themselves in regularly.