Essena O'neill did it. She broke the news to thousands of people around the world. "Social media is not real." Well, we all already knew this, but at least someone finally said it. Most of us know that many Instagram accounts are too good to be true. The pictures of a normal day in the life have transformed into staged and sponsored pictures by Instagram models that are funded because of their perfect hair and beautiful bodies.

"But Essena O'Niell is different" they say. Is she really different? How do we know this whole thing isn't a hoax?

Essena O'Neill, an Australian Instagram model who had close to half a million followers on Instagram and thousands of other followers on Youtube and Tumblr, recently decided to expose the truth behind these "perfect" pictures. Essena used her previously posted Instagram pictures and edited their captions, describing the efforts and intentions behind each post. She later "deleted" all forms of her social media.

Many people are questioning Essena's intentions of "quitting" social media. Her former friends Nina and Randa, for example, just posted a video refuting the claims and generalizations she had about the industry. Essena O'Niell also stated in her video that no one should value likes and shares but towards the end of her video asks for shares, likes, and support financially, asking her new "followers" to help her because she can't afford rent.

So what is the truth of Essena's reason to quit? She claims she's "taking herself off the grid" but continues to own social media accounts.

How many of us knew who Essena was before she decided to quit? I surely have never heard of her, but now I see articles and posts about her every day.

Essena is deceitful. She still owns social media and still has "followers" that are funding her just as they did through Instagram. Is it all a publicity stunt? In the end it seems as if her motives are still the same. None of her support can come without followers of her message and subscribes from her website. Although her message is strong she still continues to acclaim fame through social media.