Who does not like 570,000+ followers on Instagram, 2,500,000+ subscribers on YouTube and 250,000+ on Tumblr? Well, teenage Instagram star Essena O'Neill does and has just turned her back from social media.
The 18 year old famous blogger from Australia chose to change the game and decided to leave the limelight of social media-her career and first love. She even said that "social media sucks" and explained why she thought so in a video called "Why I Think Social Media Sucks" featured in her website Let's Be Game Changers. Underneath the video, she bravely and openly explained what happened and how her feelings toward social media changed. According to the young personality, she would never again let numbers define her as a person. "IT SUFFOCATED ME," she exclaimed.
She also posted a video on YouTube called "Why I REALLY Am Quitting Social Media" and announced that it would be her very last video on the widespread website. She also encouraged her followers and fans to do the same thing and challenged them to go one week without social media. O' Neill is hoping to make a huge change in the world and in the minds of her numerous supportive fans. "It's totally stupid. Everyone's doing it. And I know you did not come into this world just wanting to fit in and get by," she explains that social media, and even the brands who paid her to model do nothing but to teach us "to consume and consume" without knowing what really happens after everything is done. She shared that she did not feel happy and accomplished after having thousands of likes and followers. She felt miserable instead, just like the other successful people she knows.
She even proudly shared that deleting all the celebrated apps on her phone was the most empowering and freeing thing she had ever done.
