Selena Gomez spoke at a music and wellness summit in West Hollywood on Tuesday, where she discussed her documentary and the use of AI, and acknowledged the responsibility that comes with being the most-followed woman on Instagram.
“I’ve never really cared about that stuff,” Gomez said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “I suppose I’m grateful for the platform, and I would love to continue to use it for what I’m able to do, but numbers are just numbers.”
Gomez has 429 million followers on Instagram.
She was the closing speaker at the Universal Music Group and Thrive Global’s Music & Health conference that showcased “innovators integrating music into products and services devoted to fitness and wellbeing.” She was in conversation with Sir Lucian Grainge and Arianna Huffington.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Gomez has heard from fans about how her work has helped them through difficult times.
“It can be a little heavy,” she said. “I feel for people, and I think that’s what kind of keeps me in check, to be honest. I think I can be a little reckless with my emotions and having conversations with young people, women who are going through divorces or going through chemo — it’s not just about me, and I’m fully aware of that. I will just always cherish it. It’s a big responsibility, though. It’s a little scary.”
Gomez has used Instagram to post about a range of issues, including mental health and the importance of voting.
In 2022, Gomez collaborated with President Joe Biden in an Instagram post to address the stigma associated with mental health.
In 2020, she shared a video with then-Sen. Kamala Harris where Gomez encouraged her followers to vote early.
She has posted in support of Black Lives Matter and has amplified Black leaders, journalists and scholars like Alicia Garza, Jelani Cobb and Kimberlé Crenshaw.
During the summit, Gomez talked about her Apple TV+ documentary “My Mind and Me,” noting that she was initially hesitant to take part in the film.
“I knew, eventually, one day I wanted to maybe just be an actress for a while, and I didn’t know if it would jeopardize things in my life. I don’t know what I’m doing, letting people into my life. And then the moment it was released … I had no choice at that point. And I was relieved. I felt like a huge weight was lifted.
“I felt like I got to say things that I’ve been keeping in for years. It’s very hard for me to watch. I will never watch it again, but I’m very proud of it,” she added.
Regarding artificial intelligence, a major issue with the striking writers and actors, Gomez said: “I don’t think anybody in my field wants to feel like they need to lean on a computer in order to translate their story or what they’re trying to say.
“It terrifies me, to be honest, the whole AI thing, but I don’t think you could ever replace what a human being can write. … Lil Wayne said it really well, and he was basically saying that there’s no other human like who you are. And that’s all it should be.”