Well it’s not been hard to miss, well at least not for me, seeing the way that Instagram sensation Essena O’Neil has completely and utterly rejected her internet fame.
She shot to fame at 15 and has been endorsed by lots of noteable brands only now to turn around and say that the whole thing has been a lie…that she was somewhat moulded by idea of being the perfect Instagram sensation.
Probably the most interesting part of the entire de-shedding of her Instagram persona is the way she’s gone through her entire account (with nearly half a million followers) and rebranded all her pictures, telling people the truth behind her ‘candid’ shots (theres no such thing apparently). She even outs the way that brands wanted to work with her, that they gave her point by point instructions the way she should wear, hold or even use a certain product. She definitely wants to point put the laxk of control she had.
So why did she do it? The final straw seemed to come with the realisation that she was striving to be this person which lots of people wanted to be except for her. She explained all her reasons in this video, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1Qyks8QEM.
And to be honest it seems fair, she was 15, when she first got started. Only to be utterly and completely consumed by the idea of being queen Instagram.
And it really has made me wonder if perhaps we do start a little young with Social media. Instagram, in many ways is a wonderful way of staying in contact with people but maybe at some point it gets a bit tricky to seperate having phone and taking pictures to starting to want this whole online presence which results in money and fame.
Do you think there should be more guidelines or instruction when it comes to social media? Or is it just part of the game?
Love Robyn.
A Girl In Europe 
I think social media is out of control, kids are getting ruined by it, they get free access to all their friends, but also every other nut case and pervert there is in the world. Personally everyone should have like an e-passport so that any email address you set up and every account you make can be traced back to the originator. However I would probably be vilified for this in some parts of the world and branded as anti-freedom an other such things. But the simple fact is that once you engage in social media at any level – how much in control are you really? I think the answer is simply, you give it up when you sign on.
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I completely agree, to think how much time I waste on a daily basis just scrolling through a feed, its so time consuming and absorbing. I definitely think there should more limits e.g time/age/restrictions on the type of people you can follow but im not sure if Instagram would ever risk ruining the reach they have to do that…
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They wouldn’t – it’s how they make money. This girl was their puppet to make more money. They give her a small cut, tell her she’s great and then rule her life. I say well done to her for giving them the two fingers and stopping them invading her life.
The other thing is people post such crap on things like FB, Twitter you have to be careful because there’s so many robots and automatic accounts your time line get blocked. *sigh*
First world problems eh? I think for sure kids under 30 need to keep off social media lol
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Definitely more guidelines. I mean why don’t parents do something? Kids as young as 14 are sending in naked photos of themselves via DM just to get followers. God.
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Scary
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Success is not for weakhearted. Of course in a way you will be alone on the top, that’s why it is called “Top”(imagine a triangle ). Instant success is kind of tricky. Because you get it so quickly that you don’t even learn to hold it. And that’s where you need someone experienced who can guide you & make sure you keep that success without becoming insane. What she is doing is a “reaction” not a “response”. And she will regret it. Look, you don’t become successful that easily. If you do then make sure you make it big.
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I guess we will just have to see how it all turns out for it, it is a very interesting topic
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I think you’re confusing success with money. You can be successful and not rich. She chose to not let money rule her life. The happiest people are the poor. No expectations, stress but not unnecessary stress. Money can be evil and corrupts. See judges putting kids in jail for kickbacks. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/13judge.html
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When you say “guidelines and instructions,” what did you have in mind, like a tutorial on healthy life choices and the subtle art of self-deception? It seems like the only reasonable option is strong parenting, right? The parental landscape is a tricky gauntlet in the digital age. I’m sure it took a massive mental toll to live up to the persona she had created, so you can’t fault her. I’m not sure if there’s a way to, in the user agreement, tell kids that social media isn’t reality.
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Im not sure there is really but i think they do need to control the content and brands on there, some of the ideas they are portraying are so unrealistic, but we buy into them, there are times when i’ve been jealous or hated myself for looking like someone and those feelings can be very toxic especially for girls younger than me. So that is the area, in my opinion that needs a total overhaul
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Social media sure has been in the spotlight the last few days because of this. Thankfully, I will never be famous for my pictures, so I will never be consumed with it like she was, but she does have some points and since she is in a position to make a change by doing this, good for her. I hope some people take a second look at things because of her.
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Honestly, I don’t plan on giving cellphones to my future kids until they get their driver’s license/age 16. That’s when I got my phone and as much as I hated my mom for not giving me one sooner, I realize now that I didn’t need it until I could drive in case of emergencies. I’m sure my kids will hate me for it but it’s an expensive and unnecessary trend until they are old enough to need one.
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When I was 15, I still secretly slept with my stuffed animals, and I took unfocused pictures of my nerdy, big-banged friends. I didn’t even know how to apply mascara, and I mistakenly wore a tablecloth patterned dress to school on picture day. And I’m better for it.
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This girl knows unfocused big banged pictures all too well, my photos were sp bad i could never have even uploaded them
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Haha exactly. In middle school, I took a photography class. All of our crappy cameras had film. It was that long ago. Even after learning how to focus, ALL of my pictures came our blurry. I think the new generation is far more tech savvy, but less empathetic and genuine. Just my two cents.
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I hope they were toy stuffed animals?
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