Massimo Vitali
BOLOGNA
And then the day comes when even a natural communicator like Gianni Morandi decides to switch off, eclipsing himself from that social universe in which until now he has been the absolute (and appreciated) protagonist. “Hi, I would like to take a break from social media for a while. So that you don’t see me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Who knows, maybe this will benefit us!” The message about the national song, published by Gianni in the last few hours on his social channels, stunned his army of fans and followers, clarifying the inevitable question: for the eternal boy from Monghidoro, who will cut the seventieth birthday ribbon in December. – nine springs, is it simple fatigue from social networks with the accompanying crisis of abandoning mobile phones, or is there something else?
Judging by the return mail, there may be a clue to the truth in some of the concerned person’s replies to the thousands of comments coming in on Instagram. “Why?” Elizabeth asks him. And he: “Use the mobile phone a little less and see if we miss it so much…”. This would seem to dispel the doubts of those who fear that some kind of health problem is behind the step back. “Everything is fine with us!” Morandi resolutely replies to anyone who arouses suspicion, despite a thousand warnings. Only to then reciprocate and thank her friend (“Anna received your bouquet of wool flowers. Thank you”).
That Morandi is temporarily abandoning the idea of being connected 24 hours a day to social networks (with 3.2 million followers on Facebook and 2 million on Instagram) is news in itself: for several years now, the smiling face of the Bolognese artist has often pictured with his inseparable wife Anna, is a reassuring family photo that periodically circulated on the Internet and at the same time brought happiness to his many fans. Morandi reduced the number of interviews for a time, preferring to use a more direct and modern model of communication, although always firmly tied to lifelong attachments. For this reason, on August 19, on social networks, he celebrated the 29th anniversary of his acquaintance with Anna Dan, the one who became his wife in 2004.
At the beginning of September, the Bolognese artist also completed an intense concert tour, during which he traveled around the peninsula for two months. Here, too, you probably need to take a step back and detoxify from too close contact with the world. After all, cell phone stress in the entertainment world has already claimed prominent victims, from Justin Bieber to Selena Gomez. It has been scientifically proven that internet abuse can cause anxiety, stress and even depression in the case of a public figure due to the obsessive need to respond to one’s followers and live up to their judgments and expectations. Perhaps also to avoid all this, Morandi took a “time out”.
And to those who invite him to relax on Instagram, he answers without hesitation: “I spend my holidays at home…”. A house in the mountains that has become familiar to everyone over the years, but which will not be immortalized for some time. Who knows, maybe after a “social” break there is a respite to recharge ahead of time – why not? – about his unexpected return for the second year in a row as co-host with Amadeus for the next Sanremo. Never say never. But at the moment there is nothing more. “What do I have to hide?” Yesterday he was a little offended by an obsessive admirer. The truth is simple: I was going a hundred miles an hour (like the success of 1962), and now I need to stop. Even if the call from fans on social networks is sincere: “Gianni, take your time, but come back because we already miss you.”