So it's been forever, and I know and I have a lot of stuff to say that I've been planning for a while. However, something happened very recently that I just HAD to put down on some sort of platform. Just this week a youtuber/model by the name of Essena O'neill posted a video literally called "Social Media is Not Real" or was that her instagram name? Don't care and don't want to bring more attention to her by looking it up. Anyway, in the video as well as on instagram, she describes how everyone in Los Angeles are fake and that they are all miserable. She complains that social media has turned everyone into fame-whores who promote things out of their own self-interest instead of for good reasons. She says the wealthy culture of Los Angeles combines with social media to create people that express a life that is not who they truly are. I have problems with this argument everywhere. And I know I may have interpreted what she said wrong, because on a multitude of videos that refute her argument, many comments exist telling the maker of the video that they are not understanding what Essena meant to say. In any case, whether or not she was trying to argue for what I am refuting, this post is against any person who thinks the way that Essena does, in which they hold grudges against social media and the generation that uses it. First off, all of the problems Essena has with her social media are problems that she created for herself. No one asked her to take deals from brands and promote them without telling her supporters. No one asked her to edit every single picture or take 500 of the same picture in order to post the perfect one. No one asked her to only show the positive sides of her life online. No one asked her to post happy pictures even though she was feeling sad that day. This is not social media's fault because social media never forced Essena to paint a fake picture of herself online. And to be honest, the pictures she says are fake and the side of her life she posted online that she regrets is just as real as any other part of her life. An edited picture of herself is still a picture of herself, posting a picture of herself regardless of how she feels when she posts it was an action taken by her and no one else, any picture with her in it despite any of the circumstances around it is real. Essena is not a robot who takes orders from a corporate business. In addition, the argument she has against people posting happy pictures even if they feel sad is completely ridiculous. Because, for most people who have a large following on instagram or other social medias, they are getting paid. Their job is to model for companies or advertise for a brand or gain many likes. Social media is essentially a business now. Photography and self-expression is an art and social media merely elevates this art to a level that makes it easier for people around the globe to see. With this in mind, I am now going to make the point that, like a business, no one on social media takes pleasure in expressing their depression with other people. In fact, part of being professional in the real world is learning to take emotions out of things and just do your job. Because social media is a job for most instagram models like Essena, it is out of professionalism that she should not talk about how depressed she is when modelling shots are what she needs to do to make money. In the case that someone does not make money from instagram or even for those people who disagree that social media is a business, I say that supply and demand applies to social media. If people are scrolling down instagram and see a depressing post, they are not as inclined to like it if the post was positive. It's just a fact. So why would you ask your followers to follow your depression if you know the demand for sad posts is not there? Also, there are SO MANY accounts on instagram that are tailor-made to attract those people who are depressed. SO MANY accounts that have many followers and post depressing and saddening things. So no, social media is not all fake and happy because it depends on the person who owns the account. There are layers to social media just like there are to everything else in life. In fact, positivity is something everyone strives to promote, so people who do not promote positivity do not attract the same audience as someone who does. It is all about who you cater to, and sometimes you can not control that. Essena can not control that the majority of people who follow her enjoy her modelling happy photos, as evidenced by her massive following and likes. And it is her fault if she does not like posting positive things and still does it. By no means is it instagram's fault that she does not talk about sadness on instagram. In addition, I would like to refute the argument many people have that social media creates fake people who only care about their image. To this the answer is fairly simple. The new generation on social media is not fake, it is merely different. Like in the nineties when grunge rock was a new phenomenon, adults and older generations were devastated at all the anger and depression that stemmed from this genre. But people lived, the world kept turning, and grunge rock was just a genre of music that influenced its fans. Social media is just an aspect of life that encourages people to connect and express themselves online. The friendships that can be made and the freedom that can be achieved with social media is something no generation has had before. Are they afraid that we have this new form of self-expression? Are they afraid of what it will do to us? I think this new platform is a privilege beyond our imagination. Anyone can post ANY IDEA THEY WANT online. As long as nudity is not shown and terms of service are not violated. a racist person can be racist, a democrat can hate on republicans, a men's rights activist can express themselves, a fan of a music artist can express their love for the artist, a comedian can tell their jokes. YOU CAN BE WHOEVER YOU WANT TO BE. Social media takes freedom of speech to a new, elevated level, from which a person can scream their beliefs from the rooftops and be heard in states or countries far from their hometowns. What an opportunity! And yet adults still believe that it creates a society of Internet-obsessed people. Yeah, it creates people obsessed with what they can do online. You can edit the way you look, create amazing art, promote your talent on a wide stage, and people still think social media is the worst thing to happen to anyone ever. This makes me so angry. Next time a kid is on their phone in a restaurant, do not remark to your friend that this generation is doomed. Understand the opportunity that kid has to be heard. And yes, adults, it is possible to multitask. I can hold a conversation and scroll through instagram at the same time. I can watch youtube and so homework at the same time. I can text while I walk down a street and still take in what is around me. And this generalization you all make about this generation is hurtful. I don't like that grandparents always glare at me when I'm on my phone. I don't like when even people my own age think I'm rude for being on my phone. It is very very very very important to understand the nuanced changes in society. The way we live is changing, and has been changing ever since the first human took form. In fact, I can learn about this first human and debate about whether or not God created that human online and I don't even have to prepare a speech. Sure, it makes many things easier, but who ever asked for things to be harder. When adults complain that life is so easy now and kids are so out of it, they are forgetting the privileges they had compared to their parents and grandparents. In fact, we are all privileged that we don't have to throw our shit out of a window every time we use the restroom. We should all be thankful that nobody goes to war with swords and cannons anymore. It is a great thing that we can turn on a light in a room without burning a candle down. Why is societal progression so frowned upon? I have told myself and will remind myself forever that when I am an adult, I will never ever look down upon new phenomenons. Because it makes us feel like we are hated when we receive criticism for taking advantage of a brilliant opportunity. One of the last things I want to say is that Essena attacked those people who promote brands and companies through social media. She says it makes people fake when they pretend they paid for a dress when they didn't. I have major problems with this argument because I don't see how promotion, whether its self-promotion or promotion of someone else, is bad. Yeah, I got sent this dress for free and I'm going to post a picture with it so that the company can pay me money. It's just like normal advertising! Turn on the television and you'll see this promotion multiplied by 100. If the person does not like the brand they are promoting but do it anyway, that is their prerogative. Posting a picture featuring a brand does in no way force anyone who sees the picture to go out and buy the product. Just like how anyone can watch television and completely tune out the commercials that play constantly. If a person wants to make money through social media, they can do so in this way. Big deal. It does not ever make a person fake because they accept money to post something. Again, it is not anyone else doing this, it is their decision and their decision only. I am procrastinating homework so just one more thing. Essena, you say that you are giving up all social media. Yet, you use all this publicity to promote a new website? It's funny how all this controversy and attention towards you is happening right when you've created a new website.  And, what is this? You've asked people on your website for money to pay rent? Haven't you, in fact, used social media to your own selfish advantages in this sense? I know she will never read this (I am the only one who reads this hehe) but I just wanted to get it out their that Essena Oneill is a hypocrite, a fraud, misguided, and spurring so many negative opinions that can easily be refuted. I stand by social media, through the good and the bad. And I stand by those people who Essena has met through social media who are angry that her generalization points to them being fake. In essence, the image that is painted by certain people on social media is not a representation of social media itself. I forgot how I normally end these,
Heather