Teen Essena O'Neill raked in as much as $1,400 per Instagram post and obtained sponsorships for her social media presence — but she announced Monday she wants to be something else now: a game changer.
In a YouTube video since taken down, O'Neill explained despite the seemingly perfect life portrayed by way of her social media activity, she's abandoning her gig as an Instagram star because the "toll it takes is too high," according to Yahoo Parenting.
“I’m the girl that had it all, and I want to tell you that having it all on social media means absolutely nothing to your real life … I had never been more miserable,” Yahoo Parenting quoted O'Neill as saying.
Tara West wrote for Inquisitr the 19-year-old Aussie went on to say she'd no longer take sponsorship money or post "contrived" images.
In fact, O'Neill changed captions on old photos to detail the truth behind them.
"There's nothing zen about trying to look zen, taking a photo of you trying to look zen and proving your [sic] zen on Instagram," O'Neill changed a caption of a post of her on a yoga mat at the beach to read.
So now that O'Neill's cutting ties with her "happy, carefree" self conveyed through social media, what's next?
O'Neill hopes to promote her new website, Let's Be Game Changers, according to Inquisitr.
Among other causes, O'Neill's site provides a platform for young people to "connect over ideas not likes, followers or views," according to its info page. O'Neill also documented the experience of denouncing her stint as a star of social media in a video on the site.
Jacob Gillard wrote for Mashable some wonder if said stint is really over, though; notable YouTubers and twin sisters, Nina and Randa Nelson, "pull her story to shreds" in a video of their own.
"She's got more Instagram followers than ever because of this publicity stunt ... and on YouTube as well," the Nelsons said in the video, according to Mashable.
O'Neill has since deleted all traces of her social media presence after initially deciding to keep them and lashed out Wednesday against former friends like the Nelsons for "gossip," Lauren Grounsell and Laura House wrote for Daily Mail.
According to Daily Mail, another action O'Neill took drew additional ire: asking for financial support on her site because she gave up steady income when abandoning the Instagram endeavors.
"While I love the message Essena O'Neill is conveying about social media, I do not agree with her asking for money," one person wrote, according to Daily Mail.
It's unclear what'll happen in O'Neill's saga next, Mashable reported. Her message is refreshing but little is known about the motivations behind it.
"While O'Neill's message is a positive one — that we should prize qualities that go beneath mere looks and attraction — what her actual motivations are remain to be seen," Mashable's report read. "Either way, it is going to be a roller-coaster ride to the truth, so watch this space."
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Payton Davis is the Deseret News National intern. Send him an email at pdavis@deseretdigital.com and follow him on Twitter, @Davis_DNN.