By now, many of you may have heard about Essena O’Neill and her story. If not, O’Neill is a teenager that came out on YouTube and shared with her followers how all her social media platforms are fake. She revealed the “truth” behind her Instagram and what went on behind the scenes. O’Neill wanted her followers to know that she is getting paid to say certain things and that this wasn’t her real voice.
After she released her statement, O’Neill was praised for taking a stand and being honest. People are commending her for coming cleaning and exposing the industry. She has been congratulated for showing everyone that what you see on social media is a lie, and that nothing is reality.
The problem with this is that many other social media mavens have come under fire in the wake of O’Neill. People are starting to question the integrity of their favorite Instagram and YouTube stars. Comments on their pages are now all about whether or not what they are doing is real.
A lot of these stars have now had to make response videos to defend themselves from these attacks. Carly Cristman, a YouTuber, put together a video addressing these critics called The Truth About Social Media + Sponsorships. In the video she goes on to explain how social media actually works. Cristman discusses what does go on behind the scenes and why it’s okay for people to get paid for their work.
These Instagram and Youtube stars want you to know they do social media because they love it. They want their followers to know that what they say and do is who they are. Essena O’Neill’s experience may have been true for her. She may have posted in the hopes of getting a ton of likes or making a lot of money. This doesn’t mean it is true for everyone else. Not everything on social media is a lie.