ESSENA O'NEILL - THE STORY OF SOCIAL MEDIA

What is up, world?

For me the answer would be - change. It is changing, the way people look at things and the emotion they get out of it. But never has anyone yet got the courage to make the change and to BE the change and to let the whole world around them know what they actually think and what they believe is true, for everyone.

So this girl called Essena, was a youtuber, "instagram famous" and a blogger. I've been following her since she first released her first ever youtube video, and gone with her through all she has ever posted and published, put online. And she is just as old, as I am, 18. We are not constant and we do not know all things the world thinks we should, and as you get this social recognition (not in my case luckily) everyone magically excepts you know this and that and everything and that you do not make any mistakes or stumble across your way to being something more, that you just know it all so that if you decide to change, many think of it as "another thing a teenager does whilst not knowing who she is and wants to be" and they pity it and look at it as a bad thing. But it is not anything even close to BAD it's just discovering and wondering and MAKING a change and that's what we all should do. All of us are guilty of whining and complaining, it's time we start changing it and we all know that the change starts from youreslf, form the deep wish and dream in yourself that tells you to be a better person, and not for anyone else, FOR YOU.

I don't know yet where this all that I'm writing right now, whilst sitting on my carpet on the floor, is taking, but I assure you this is real, this is my opinion and my wish. Essena is a vegan, a beautiful girl with a beautiful mind, wishing to change our generation. She has been 'instagram famous' since being like 14 or 15 and her story is touching, but the courage it takes to put it all online is massive and I so admire her for doing this. Imagine if every 12-16 year old girl red her instagram captions (take a look at them on https://instagram.com/essenaoneill/ ) and understood that being famous or liked by others is not ANYTHING anyone ever should wish for, it's just sad and time consuming and we are so so so much better that that. Essena left social media because it's not real for her and the way it consumed her, was unbelievable. Though the message is great and touching, I still think I will continue using my instagram, not for presenting to the world what I am and how 'beautiful' my life is, but just to remember all of those moments one day. But what I did was I unfollowed all 'famous' people, because the time I spend scrolling through instagram daily was enormous and I do not want to carry on with that. From now on I only follow people that spread a positive message and who inspire me to be a better version of myself, who encourage their followers to be the change (including some vegan youtubers), and my friends/ acquaintances. From now on I promise myself whenever I'm bored whilst on a bus, I read the news or A BOOK or sketch or just sit and think, but not stalk people on social media, because to be honest, what on earth does it give me? a feeling of unworthiness and anger for not being as fit or as beautiful or as positive or as stilish as them? for not having the amount of creativity or clothes or money as they have? that is so wrong and none should EVER compare themselves to any other human being, because that doesn't lift you up, you just think that if you'd be as them or even worse- better than them, you'd be happy. Trust me it does not work that way, you are NEVER happy if you compare yourself to someone else, you just try to persuade yourself you are and you will be.

Leave it behind and focus on yourself, how can you change the world, what can you do so that you'd be a better person and the world would be a better place, how can you motivate others to do the same and how can you be happy. That should be our goal, not to be famous or liked by others or be better than others, no no no!! just be you and see, where it might take you! You will be surprised, I promise.

this last one was a game changer for me,  just like a few extremely inspirational TEDx talks, but only because I focused on the parts that influenced me the most, not every bit of it was perfect..
take the time to watch these videos, and also don't forget to check out her new page: http://www.letsbegamechangers.com

But on the same time, the last video was a bit of an exaggeration, because she said that EVERYONE in LA was miserable and they all were fake and used social media to get money and to say that, it's just rude. For all this time she stayed in the US, she lived at her friends homes, under they roofs, ate the food they served her (of course buying her own as well) and met the people they introduced her to, including her secret boyfriend, and now to say this all was fake, makes me think just what, how can you say such thing, those people were nice to you, and you met them ON SOCIAL MEDIA, they made your stay as good as it could've ever been, and now you're just saying bad things about them based barely on your own experience, bu these kind of generalisations should not be made, because every one of us has their own story, all of them unique and different. And she was happy there. If someone like me would just quit social media one day saying it killed my creativity, no one would recognise that and give me the spotlight it still gives her (latest video on her vimeo) because I am not 'famous' on instagram nor blogging, but she was, she still IS because she hasn't really quit, her instagram and youtube are still available to watch and read (it's a good thing that girls can read her edited captions) and she got the attention because she already WAS famous before.

Take a look at another video posted about this thing, this changed my perspective a bit!

Like I said, I am partly on both sides of this huuuuge case going viral, it's bad and beneficial at the same time, and I think no one should take this all too seriously, it might as well be a part of learning how to love yourself and what to take out of the life given. If you have any thoughts, leave your comments down below, I'd LOVE to read and answer!! And remember, life is fun, don't look at the bad side of it only!

xx

h