Once a drunk tweeter, Adele says her posts must now be approved
Technically Incorrect: The world-famous singer says that she can't risk offending her 24 million followers, so she has her tweets cleared by others before they go live.
Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.
Not to be trusted at the controls of Twitter?
When you're a big star, you image becomes your reality.
Your purpose is to ensure that what's consumed is what you emit in a controlled manner. Your personal truth must be hidden in favor of the personal face the public thinks you are.
This means that, in the case of some stars, they don't even tweet themselves. Instead, their "words" are penned by members of management.
Adele, who has just released the second-fastest video to reach 100 million views on YouTube (currently at over 253 million), once wrote her own tweets.
However, the BBC reports that she appeared on one of the station's shows -- yet to be aired-- and admitted that she isn't allowed to tweet without supervision.
Asked by an audience member if it was the case that she isn't permitted to access her Twitter account, she said: "That is true, yeah, ha ha ha."
It seems that a previous penchant for alcohol is to blame. She said: "I'm not a drinker anymore, but when Twitter first came out I was drunk tweeting and nearly put my foot in it quite a few times. So my management decided that you have to go through two people and then it has to be signed off by someone."
Yes, just like an expense report.
Adele is now a corporate brand. Her authenticity has to be filtered. No risk can be taken of an untoward word sneaking out into the public domain. And all this in a world of supposed sharing and openness and authenticity.
She insisted, though, that she still writes her own tweets. It's just that she has to have others look at them before they appear. Several others, by the sound of it.
Indeed, one look at her Twitter account shows it to be a pleasant, but not exactly riveting or controversial. Sample: "So...tonight was THE best night of my life. I love you Stevie Nicks!! The queen of melodies! Thanks for everything x."
Perhaps that's all her fans need.
Perhaps that's also another reason why, in her new video, she's only allowed a flip phone.