3 days ago model and social media sensation Essena O’Neill announced that she was quitting social media on account of her charlatan ways. O’Neill explained that her entire presence on social media was solely intended for the fabrication of her so-called “Dream Life.” Essena went through all her seemingly perfect Instagram photos and rewrote the captions to depict what was really going on. That perfect bikini shot? She wrote: “took more than 100 attempts trying to make my stomach look good…would have hardly eaten that day.”

She continued to explain why she deleted over 2,000 photos, which “served no real purpose other than self-promotion. Without realizing, I’ve spent majority of my teenage life being addicted to social media, social approval, social status and my physical appearance.” Teenagers across the world can relate to this desire for social acceptance and the need to find it through Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter.

For myself, the boom of social media didn’t begin until my sophomore year of high school. At 15 I was young and still impressionable, but I was mature enough to understand the difference between fantasy and reality. I was old enough to remember a life before Instagram. My little sister is 8 years old now and I fear for her generation; they are growing up in what seems to be the prime of the social media era.

In part, I blame Hollywood. Because, who doesn’t blame Hollywood for all their problems? Magazine covers have been distorting celebrities bodies for decades: making them thinner and younger looking, with whiter teeth and unfeasible complexions. Now with apps called “Plastic Surgery” and “Bodyshop” young girls are finding ways to edit themselves on their smartphones for a small fee of $1.99 per app. With such an implausible standard of beauty in our culture, it’s impossible for anyone to live up to it without “editing” themselves first.

On the opposite note, another model and Instagram star spoke out about what social media means to her. Alexis Ren (18) and Jay Alvarrez (20) are two models in love, who spend their days traveling the world, skydiving, and taking photos. Living what seems to be a perfect life. 3 days ago Alexis also made a statement with her Instagram page. She posted this photo and this caption:

The main gist: she was homeschooled her entire life and social media became an outlet for her to connect with the world around her. She explains that, “Personally I am so grateful to be apart of this generation where we can express ourselves so beautifully and communicate with people across the world as if they were standing right next to us.” That is undoubtedly a pro of social media. However, isn’t there a way we can do that, without basing it all on views, likes and followers to adhere to our obsession with validation from others?

Alexis concluded her caption with, “Everything is how you perceive it. The dark sire of social media is that within seconds anything can be blown out of proportion or taken out of context. In my personal opinion, I believe that social media has brought power back to the people. We are now more than ever aware of what is going on in the world.”

There is something valuable to take from both of these women. Social Media is in fact a powerful tool that shouldn’t be taken for granted. However, if we’re going to use it, we need to be educated on how to use it the right way.