Most of you have probably heard of Essena O’Neill.

But for those of you who haven’t, Essena O’Neill is a 19 year old Australian social media model who has more than half a million followers on Instagram. She caused quite a stir recently when she quit Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube, claiming that “social media is not real life”.

This move understandably shocked many people, especially her fans. I mean, why would some like Essena, who had such a massive social media influence, suddenly decide that she didn’t want it? People had mixed reactions to this incident; some were sympathetic and understanding, while others were convinced that it was simply a publicity stunt to gain more followers. But now that some time has passed, it has become clear that Essena had indeed quit social media for real.

  Before this entire incident even took place, I had never even heard of Essena O’Neill. But I had heard of other people that were similar to her and people who had the same “job” as her. People who made a living by taking pictures of themselves portraying themselves as beautiful people living perfect put-together lives. People who were paid to promote products through their Instagram accounts. These people have become pretty common on the internet nowadays and most people, especially teenagers, take them for granted. Even I– someone who doesn’t use social media nearly as frequently as most of my friends– don’t stop to consider that taking a picture of yourself kneeling in the sand while wearing an evening gown is unrealistic.

These people have become so common that I don’t even think twice about them. Hearing about this incident prompted me to ponder these people and their unique lifestyles. The more I dwelled on the subject, the more uncomfortable I got, and I realized exactly how superficial our world has gotten.
 
I came to the realization that, beneath the flawless makeup and the aesthetically pleasing Instagram filters, Essena was a depressed, empty girl who wanted more from life than likes and comments telling her that she was“body goals” or that she was an “inspiration”. She says “I’m the girl that had it all on social media, and let me tell you that having it all on social media means absolutely nothing to your real life.” This reveals that no matter how many followers she had on social media, she still felt miserable and alone. Even though she “had it all” on social media, she was still aching for the raw human interaction and love that can’t be felt from behind the screen of a computer.

In my everyday life, I am seeing people relying more and more on the connections they have through social media. Things like likes and followers are becoming increasingly valued and important.

Essena O’Neill quitting social media forces us to reflect on what their lives have become. Society has gotten so used to every little thing being perfectly shot and perfectly timed, that we have become brainwashed into thinking that people’s everyday lives are exactly the same as how they appear on their Instagram feeds. We need to realize that no amount of followers will ever replace the connection that is felt when two people meet face to face.

Work Cited

O'Neill, Essena. "Liked." Let's Be Game Changers. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.
     .

Connor, Liz. "Essena O'Neill: Instagram star quits 'unhealthy' social media
     claiming it has created a ‘brainwashed generation’." Evening
     Standard. N.p., 4 Nov. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.
          instagram-star-essena-oneill-quits-unhealthy-social-media-claiming-it-has-created
     -a-brainwashed-a3105621.html>.