Essena O'Neill, a young, Australian social media star, is a very popular and influential public figure. She is a former YouTuber with almost a million subscribers, and her Instagram had over 300 thousand followers alone. What's so important about her you may ask? Well, she, with all of her newfound fame, something seemingly everyone wants, decided to quit social media.
Essena's choice to quit social media came at quite a shock (this was a while ago now, but the time for the message is still relevant). So I'm now taking the time to voice my opinion on this topic, similar to the way I did on my YouTube channel, which you can see here.
So here it is: the truth.

Social media is neither good nor bad!

Social media is only what you make it.
There is no right or wrong way to go about social media. You just go.
Just because "everyone else is doing it" doesn't mean that you have to as well. It's your own choice when it comes to what you choose to do and put out on your social media platforms.
You shouldn't feel guilty for enjoying a lot of followers or likes.
You have the freedom to use social media as you wish. We all love seeing that 39 go to 40 or that 49 go to 50 and so on.
However, just because something is right doesn't mean it is good, and just because it is wrong doesn't mean it is bad. You should always stay true to yourself and who you really are. Don't ever start to force anything to happen or to come together just for that extra follower or like. Never sell yourself out!
If you want to post about that new juicer you bought or if you want to promote that new brand you're in to, you can do it without covering it up and lying to your followers. You shouldn't feel guilty about the act of wanting more likes/follows just as you shouldn't feel guilty about the want to promote cool stuff and even get paid for it. Through this story (that's kind of old but still important to learn from), I just want people to take away that life and the things around you are only what you chose to make it and make of it. You can't spend your life holding back the truth. If you want to post nothing but promotions, do it! It's good for you that you're working hard and companies are picking up on your dedication. If you want to buy your likes or followers, just do it! Social media is just social media. What you put into it is what you get out of it.
If you'd like to check out Essena's new form of communicating with the world and hear her message, head to www.essenaoneill.com for more and you can check out the video I made here: