Roughly 18 months ago, I recorded an episode of my Web series entitled, “Fitness Models On Instagram Are Porn Stars In Training.”
The gist? Men and women who take a hundred selfies in order to get the lighting and angle just right in order to rack up “likes” and show how awesome their lives can be … are absolute sellouts.
It doesn’t take much to see how truly self-conscious and starved for attention these human beings are, either.
And the saddest part is that they’re selling out to a social media platform filled with people who don’t actually give a shit about who they are or what they do.
Consumers of these photos double tap them because the “models” have magically embodied a professional contortionist in such a way that is pleasant to look at for 4 seconds before the user scrolls to the next worthless piece of content on their feed.
Sounds elegant and beautiful in the best way, doesn’t it? #tooblessedtobestressed
But hey, you’re hot, so who cares, right? Well, at least in that one picture you posted of the 112 you took you look smokin’. Because after all, that is what truly matters in life. Right?
Your little account is giving you the validation you need to survive. It’s a validation that you’ve clearly never received in the actual, physical world around you from people in your life. The saddest realizations are always the truest.
The real champions of this realm, in my opinion, are the “models” who are paid to promote a specific brand or product during their selfie-snapping escapades.
Why not make a little bread if you aren’t allowed to eat any, if you catch my drift.
Enter 19-year-old Australian model (also deemed an “Instagram star” by some, which makes me puke in my mouth) Essena O’Neill, who—despite making thousands of dollars for posing with products on social media—has “quit” Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Tumblr altogether. She made the decision last month.
If there was ever a dream girl out there for me, it’s O’Neill. An attractive woman with an accent who isn’t afraid to turn down money and false “fame” to throw social media falsehoods under the bus.
O’Neill deleted 2,000 photos, stating that they “served no real purpose other than self-promotion,” she wrote on her final blog post. “Without realizing, I’ve spent [the] majority of my teenage life being addicted to social media, social approval, social status and my physical appearance.”
“I don’t agree with social media as it currently is,” the then-18-year-old said while pushing her hands together, as if praying, in a 13-minute vlog after her announcement.
It was music to my ears, as she continued: “Please, please can someone make something that isn’t based on views, likes and followers? I think that culture creates validation and insecurity in likes and views. I hate it. I think it’s so detrimental to human health and human ability.”
Hell yes. Amen. Gold star. Tell her what she’s won, Johnny!
Incredible.
A teenager—who admits to being paid $400 to take a photo in a dress this year—who is mature and smart enough to realize how utterly insane this lifestyle is, even calling it “not real life” to reiterate how life is not a fantasy.
To all those out there posting selfies and constantly refreshing the “Activity” page to see what number (of “likes”) you’re at?
Take a step back and ask yourself, “Why the hell do I even care?”
Because you shouldn’t.
Sean Ely is “The Social Media Pessimist.” Check out his original series on YouTube at youtube.com/socialmediapessimist.
