Just over a week ago, 19 year old Essena O’Neill from Queensland, Australia, took the world by storm when she announced she was leaving social media for good. The famous Instagram star released a video explaining her departure from not only Instagram, but also from other social media websites including YouTube, Snapchat, and Tumblr. With over half of a million followers, O’Neill was making approximately $2,000 per post, since the majority of her photos were manufactured and published solely for promotion. Looking at Essena O’Neill from the outside, we could say she had the “ideal life.” However, she speaks out to anyone who has ever thought this about her or any other well-known social media star, saying that this is anything but true.

Essena O’Neill claims that once she started to earn more and more followers, brand names and large companies began telling her to wear designer clothes and to show off food products to encourage her followers to buy them. They would tell her what to wear, what to say in each caption, what time of day to post, and what she should do in the photos. Some well-known brands would tell O’Neill what to do with the product, either how to hold it or where to place it in the picture. Despite the money and the fame, O’Neill claims she was never happy through her final YouTube video. “I don’t want to say I was depressed or had anxiety, but I definitely had all of the symptoms that if you Googled depression and anxiety, I would have felt all of those symptoms times a billion.”

We are all encouraged by O’Neill to rid ourselves of social approval. Even if it’s only for a day, she wants us all to put down our phones, get off the Internet, and go into the real world and do something. Communicate with those around you by volunteering, go on a walk with friends, just go out and talk to others who aren’t on their phones. Meet new people and be open to others around you, because a society where we are scared and in some cases unable to talk to other people is utterly horrifying. According to O’Neill, “social media is fake and promotes dishonesty,” but when we are in the real world and distance ourselves from our phones, the world becomes a much more pure and accepting place.

Based on what Essena O’Neill has said to the world about social media, a majority of the world seems to agree with her points made in the video and the actions she is taking. Social media is in fact a business, and it is taking over our lives. Texting your friend is not talking to your friend. “Spending time together” is not a mere text message or phone call, not even a video chat. Having face to face communication with others is important, and the lack of it today could very well explain why we are all so lonely, yet have access to a million people at our fingertips. Love and connection is not through social media, which I along with many others around the world have learned from past relationships. Relationships should not depend on any device, like O’Neill has said, and it is important to get off of our phones and into the real world, where there are plenty of amazing things to see and do.

To promote this movement, Essena O’Neill now has her own website, which is not based on likes, views, or followers. The website is called www.letsbegamechangers.com and already has thousands of supporters as O’Neill continues to share her story. If you or anyone you know has an opinion on this matter or an experience about how social media has affected you, feel free to leave a comment below and view Essena O’Neill’s website to learn more about her actions.