Graham Norton: Toxic Twitter’s a no-go area
GRAHAM Norton says Twitter is like a rough neighbourhood – and its bosses must act now.
The TV presenter’s job as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK made him realise how fortunate he was to build his career before social media.
Graham, 58, who has a Twitter account but rarely uses it, said: “The drag fans are really lovely. But I am aware there is this toxic cabal – and if they don’t like one of the drag queens, they go for them in a horrible way.
“If you’re in bed at night reading horrible comments about yourself, who knows what damage that does to you? I feel for young people who think they have to engage on those platforms. I don’t think we’re any crueller or nicer than we’ve ever been.
“I just think that social media has given us a weird way to shout at the television so that the person on the television hears you.
“Ultimately, Twitter in particular has to do something – because it’s like a neighbourhood. If it’s rough and dangerous, people move out and it becomes a no-go area.
“It doesn’t matter what you say.You could tweet, ‘Morning, what a lovely day’, and people will tweet back, ‘Oh, that’s easy for you to say’.”
The Bafta-winning chat show presenter will return to host the BBC’s Eurovision coverage on May 22.
But he admitted what we see on screen is not the real him. He told Saga magazine: “That’s an amped-up version of me. If I was like that all the time, it would be quite annoying.
“It’s very hard to sustain if it’s nothing like you. Years ago I remember Dolly Parton telling me, ‘Pick a persona that’s pretty close to you, otherwise life becomes difficult’. So mine is basically me – but turbocharged.”
The Irishman also told the magazine he was a show-off growing up, joking: “You don’t get into an industry like this unless you are a vortex of need.
“We all like positive affirmation, but we don’t all require people sitting in rows and clapping.”
● The full interview is in this month’s Saga Magazine, out now.