Dear Lady Gaga (you probably won't see this), After silently observing the ARTPOP era for several months, I am currently feeling a strong desire to speak out. I am writing to you, Gaga, as a dedicated fan of five/six years, and as someone who has admired and supported you as a musician, artist, and a human being. I could write below about the current state of your career; about your commercial success, or about the professional/personal decisions you have made in the last few months, but I would prefer to discuss YOU as a person. From reading your posts on this site and viewing your activity on Twitter over the last couple of weeks, it seems to me that you are very unhappy (you yourself have spoken about depression). I feel that there is an atmosphere, an "aura" if you will, of sadness surrounding you which is significantly affecting your mood. I believe that this sadness stems from a particular attitude you have been upholding for quite a while now. In my opinion, you are too influenced by what you see on the Internet. It seems clear to me that you are hurt by any negativity or backlash that you may have encountered online. I understand that you are in a situation that most people will never experience, but you are still human and can be just as vulnerable as the rest of us. I would be bold enough to suggest to you to limit the amount of time you spend on the Internet and avoid any blogs or articles that needlessly criticise or "drag" you, but there is more I am concerned about than this. I will say that I hugely admire and respect all that you have done for young people around the world and I know that you have made a lasting positive impact on many lives. However, I believe that your closeness to your fans is having a harmful effect on you. You are getting too involved in a world which revolves around the fans, a world which exists to examine and analysis art. I believe that you Gaga, as an artist, should reduce your involvement in this community, as you seem to be strongly affected by any sort of criticism. You have stated a number of times that you disagree with the concept of a professional critic, and I agree with you to some extent. However, I believe in the concept of Freedom of Speech, which means that ANYONE is entitled to their own opinion, and should be able to freely express their opinions on a piece of art. It seems to me that you feel that people shouldn't speak negatively about an artist or their work, but I believe that it is perfectly acceptable for someone to dislike a piece of art, as all people naturally have different opinions. I must stress that PEOPLE WHO NEGATIVELY CRITICISE ART HAVE JUST AS MUCH RIGHT TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINION AS THOSE WHO POSITIVELY CRITICISE. I capitalised that previous sentence because it appears to me that you wish to silence those who disagree with any of your work. This "Goddess of Love" persona that you have adopted seems to be rather extreme, and promotes a positive bias of opinion, which I feel is unnatural and suppress many people's right of speech. So I am pleading to you Gaga to ignore those who criticise you and just let them be. The campaign to "Promote Online Kindness" has great intentions, but it is ultimately unrealistic and unlikely to succeed. This may seem unidealistic, but WE WILL NEVER BE RID OF NEGATIVITY ON THE INTERNET, as humans deserve the right of speech. I am worried for you, and I wish only the best for you. I feel that this advice may help to improve your well-being, because I think you get yourself too involved in negativity. To summarise: Speak and Let Speak. Don't give the trolls the attention they desire. Have some time for yourself away from the Internet and this website in particular. I hope the rest of 2014 is a happier time for you. Yours, A concerned Monster