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Australian model Essena O’ Neil has been making headlines recently for surprising her thousands of followers by quitting most of her social media accounts after making a fortune off using social media as an advertising business.
She also deleted thousands of her posts and re-captioned the images left to reveal the truth about what she was really feeling at the time these captivating images were taken – and what she thinks about them now.
In her latest (and possibly last) video she tearfully shares why becoming insta-famous and making social media your career is very dangerous.
With a sense of pain and urgency in her voice, Essena explains just how companies use the effect of social media to get their products advertised and how these posts are edited and contrived specifically to get more views.
“Companies will email you with doc points of what you should say with times of the day to post. With what you should do in the photo. With how you should hold the product or where you should have it in the background. Companies know the power of social media and they are exploiting it.”
From what I’ve perceived of her images on social media, her life seemed effortlessly stylish and happy. I even felt a little envious of her beautifully toned stomach as I scrolled down her Instagram timeline and continued enjoying my juicy, cheesy burger.
A picture says a thousand words but the truth is rarely heard and with her video, Essena assures the world that what lies behind these images is just not real life.
“I had it all but I was miserable…when you let yourself be defined by numbers you let yourself be defined by something that is not pure. That is not real and that is not love.
“I let myself be defined by numbers. The only time I felt better about myself was the more followers, the more likes, the more praise and the more views I got online. -It was never enough.” “I let numbers define myself and that stopped me from being the person that I am and should be.”
The next time you engage or update your social media, ask yourself: Why? Is this really me? Or are you only who others expect you to be?
If you’re spending your days mimicking aspirational images in the hopes that you will gain followers and accumulate a trendsetting score of likes, you’re using social media for all the wrong reasons.
While we think we’re connecting with the world, we’re really disconnecting from ourselves. It’s easier to sit and want and sit and view online. It’s a lot harder to sit alone with yourself and get real with your life.
Watch Essena’s wake-up call to the world below:
Would you survive a week without the social media? Let us know.
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