How Instagram stripped my dignity: Celeb bares soul

19-year-old Essena Oneill, who had until a few days back over 500,000 followers on the popular photo and video-sharing social network Instagram, over 200,000 on YouTube and Tumblr, and about 60,000 on SnapChat, has bid adieu to what she calls "not real life" of social media. The teen sensation hailing from Australia, who was famous for her provocative, bare and dare photos and video blogs (vlogs), declared on Instagram:

"I'm quitting Instagram, YouTube and Tumblr. Deleted over 2,000 photos here today that served no real purpose other than self-promotion. Without realising, I've spent majority of my teenage life being addicted to social media, social approval, social status and my physical appearance."

She had some really harsh things to add on the "ugly truth" behind all her "instafame": "Social media, especially how I used it, isn't real. It's contrived images and edited clips ranked against each other. It's a system based on social approval, likes, validation in views, success in followers. It's perfectly orchestrated self-absorbed judgement. I was consumed by it."

Essena Oneill also posted her "last" YouTube video blog (unavailable now as her account is closed) soon after underlining how obsession with likes and approval rates on social media is capitalised by fashion and cosmetic brands, which pay for posts that seemingly depict real life. In the vlog, Oneill confessed, "I spent hours watching perfect girls online, wishing I was them. Then when I was 'one of them' I still wasn't happy, content or at peace with myself".

She added: "I was profiting from deluding people."

She captioned of her deleted Instagram pictures in these courageous words:

"Not real life. Only reason we went to the beach this morning was to shoot these bikinis because the company paid me and also I looked good to society’s current standards. I was born and won the genetic lottery. Why else would I have uploaded this photo? Read between the lines, or ask yourself “why does someone post a photo… What is the outcome for them? To make a change? Look hot? Sell something? I thought I was helping young girls get fit and healthy. But I only realised at 19 that placing any amount of self worth on your physical form is so limiting! I could have been writing, exploring, playing, anything beautiful and real… Not trying to validate my worth through a bikini shot with no substance #celebrityconstruct"

Since quitting Instagram, Oneill has set up her own website Let Us Be Gamechangers, which hopes make a "positive impact" and reach out to as many as possible. She has also sent out a request to fund her new project through her website.

She wrote: "This movement is for my 12-year-old self. The girl that thought she was nothing because she wasn’t popular online…I urge everyone to share this with someone caught up in thinking being “social media famous” is the dream. It’s far from what it seems."

We wonder what the Kardarshian sisters think of Oneill's bravado!