Zayn & Louis Should Resolve Their Fight Offline

As any One Direction fan knows by now, all is not well for the boy band. Band member Louis Tomlinson is feuding with former member Zayn Malik on Twitter. After Malik's new producer Naughty Boy advertised their collaboration in a picture with the caption, "replace this," Tomlinson struck back by insulting the quality of the photo. This led to Malik criticizing Tomlinson for making not having a life. Though Tomlinson did not respond to Malik, he continued to banter with Naughty Boy. The latest update on the fight comes from Malik on — you guessed it — Twitter.

The update from Malik came after One Direction fans made it clear where their allegiances stood. They got the hashtag #TomlinsonSlaysAgain trending worldwide, so you can probably guess their widespread opinion of the fight. So in response, Malik tweeted, "Don't know why I'm being attacked for defending myself , people got it twisted! I love my fans ?! Every single one of you x."

As has been said before, this is really a sad situation all around. It is too bad that the two guys have not been able to put their creative differences aside in order to remain friends. And it is too bad that Malik's new producer has felt the need to stir the pot in such a way. But there is something to take away from all of this drama: this is a prime example of why fights like this are better resolved offline.

This is not to say that if Tomlinson and Malik spoke to each other offline that it would necessarily mean a full blown One Direction reunion. After all, Malik seems dead set on beginning a solo career, and, hey, if that's his dream, he has a right to pursue it. But if they spoke to each other in person or at least on the phone, they would have a much better chance of understanding each other and what they want out of their respective careers.

It has been theorized that people are more likely to say mean things to one another online than they are offline. Also, it's thought that people are more likely to misconstrue messages that they have received online than offline. So really, online battles are a recipe for disaster in a lot of ways for the Average Joe. Add One Direction level fame to the mix and you really have a whole new monster. Worldwide trending hashtags included.

Let's hope that Tomlinson and Malik have some time to cool down and actually talk things through before this feud turns into an even bigger fiasco. Think before you tweet!

Images: Getty Images