Essena O'Neill, 18-year-old Australian model and internet socialite made world-wide news for quitting social media. O'Neill deleted most of her Instagram posts and edited captions on existing pictures exposing what actually went behind the scenes of each photo. She had been painting a life for others to see that was not authentic and that damaged her self-esteem and ability to live in the moment.

She changed the name of her Instagram to "Social Media is not Real Life," and posted a 17 minute long Youtube video on the negative ways being a social media icon has negatively effected her life. O'Neill has a website called Lets Be Game Changers that she launched to try and change the way the media works.

The media is corrupt and I respect O'Neill as an individual for stepping up for what she believes in and trying to create change -- that is really honorable. Social media can easily be abused, but that's not a new fact, anything can be abused. Social media is not going anywhere; it is the way that we have chosen to express our sociality. Rather than abstaining from social media, we should learn how to use it responsibly and effectively.

Every generation expands on what it is to be "we the people," ours is doing that though the use of social media. Some positive things that have been social media driven are the #blacklivesmatter movement for racial equality, the #freethenipple movement for gender equality, the ALS ice bucket challenge raising money and awareness for a disease that effects a lot of people, and after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in June, people showed their support with a rainbow profile picture provided by Facebook.

Even with all of the good things social media has done, if someone wants to get paid by companies to model a perfect life, they should be able to without people telling them to stop doing it. You have the right to create a social media presence in whatever way you want to, whether it be authentic or not. You also can choose whether the use of social media affects how you live in the present.

Social media has become part of our lives. It is how we spread messages, connect with each other and collect memories. It is up to you to use it responsibly and to not let social media completely take over you life if you don't want it to.