"Love"/Hate Relationship With Twitter

posted in: Music News

Courtney Love has long been one of the most unpredictable and vocal personalities on Twitter, notoriously tweeting inflammatory (often poorly spelled) remarks and posting the occasional NSFW photo. She’s never been one for holding back, but as OurStage reported last week, Love’s trashy tweets may have gotten her into trouble this time. The Hole frontwoman is being sued by Dawn Simorangkir following a March 17, 2009 rant against the fashion designer. Love allegedly tweeted that Simorangkir was “a drug-pushing prostitute and a nasty, lying hosebag thief, after the designer reportedly demanded payment for thousands of dollars worth of clothes. Simorangkir claims that the remarks from Love effectively destroyed her fashion career.

This isn’t the first time a libel suit has been filed regarding Twitter. In 2009, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa sued the social-networking site regarding a fake account he claimed was damaging to his reputation. However, the suit against Love is the first of its kind. No Twitter user has ever been sued for libel due to the content of their tweets. Love’s verdict could set a precedent in the way libel cases are tried.

Love may have realized the damage caused by her tweets. Her profile disappeared last week, and while some have reported that the account was suspended by the site, Love’s followers claim that she deactivated the profile herself. And she isn’t the first notable celeb to sign off; John Mayer made headlines in September after he deactivated his Twitter account, leaving behind his nearly 4 million followers. Perhaps celebrities will follow the leads of Love and Mayer and censor themselves more closely. Certainly, if Love is found guilty, Twitter users will need to be careful. As for Twitter, well, they may have bigger problems than libelous celebrities, after a recent US Army Intelligence Report hypothesized that terrorists could use the Web site for surveillance. There is even speculation that the FCC (who actually joined Twitter in 2009) may begin regulating the site. However, at this time, that appears to be mere speculation.

Only time will tell if the courts rule in Courtney’s favor or if celebrities will have to more carefully monitor their online rants. Until then, check out this hilarious Washington Post blog decoding some of the songstress’s more ridiculous and hateful tweets.