The Dangers of Being Instafamous

By Gil Alon
Arts Reporter

The ability to become famous has become even easier with with social media applications such as Instagram; however, this fame can be deceptively difficult to maintain and can be accompanied by many new sources of stress.

Hundreds of people on Instagram have millions of devoted followers liking and commenting on all of their posts. For some, that boost in attention and subsequent increase in scrutiny from the public eye is too much to handle.

Essena O’Neill, an Australian teen, made headlines earlier this month by quitting her massive social media empire. Discussing her struggles with depression and a debilitating constant need for approval, O’Neill made the decision to abandon all forms of social media.

Despite the relative credulity of her statements, many critics question the legitimacy of her claim, as her decision to leave has actually increased the amount of attention she has received, bringing in even more revenue.

No matter the extent of your presence on the internet, the decision to post any content should be handled with care.

“If someone is putting themselves out there, it is a big risk,” said Newton South Guidance Director Dan Rubin. “If one of my students were putting themselves in that position, I would talk to [them] and make sure they really understand that if you are choosing to put yourself out there, there are people out there looking to give nasty feedback…Making that choice is a pretty significant thing.”

Junior Rhea Dudani has also made the decision to stop posting on her social media platform. With over eighty thousand followers at her Instagram’s peak, Dudani’s decision shocked many, but she felt the decision would be most beneficial to her.

Last year, Dudani increased her activity, posting pictures of herself, her room, and objects that she found almost every day. She quickly started to realize the dangers of posting on Instagram this often.

“My account was hacked during finals, so I wasn’t able to concentrate on studying because I was so worried about my account,” Dudani said. “I wouldn’t hang out with as many people on the weekend anymore because I would be on my phone all the time and constantly taking pictures, posting on Instagram. I became obsessed with it.”

The people closest to Dudani witnessed the strain of the constant stream of likes and comments.

“Definitely, I think she is better off,” junior Rebecca Yakubovich, Dudani’s friend of four years, said. “She is more aware of what is going on [and] she is not always on her phone.”

The constant distractions were only part of the reason Dudani decided to quit. The constant stream of negativity, more than anything else, pushed her over the edge.

“The less face to face interaction we are having, the less thought we put into considering the impact of our actions,” Rubin said.

Relating herself to O’Neill, Dudani reflected on some of the similarities they share.

“There are similarities…I noticed it as soon as I stopped Instagram: I got happy,” Dudani said. “First of all, there is so much negativity on Instagram. If you post something and you have one blemish in the picture, people comment hate, some people threaten you online. People always want to pick on people to feel better about themselves.”

Reflecting on the power of Instagram and the pressure it can bring, Rubin examines how unique these problems are to today’s youth.

“Having that digital platform is a form of self-publishing, and at no other time of our history has someone at home been able to publish something and have it available for billions of people to access worldwide,” Rubin said. “It is the ease of self-publishing and the impact that comes with that. The digital world is ripe with people who are going through the celebrity cycle of build them up, tear them down, and it happens faster and faster and faster.”

Yakubovich, however, does recognize the benefits of these social media platforms. Still, she maintains that these benefits are only attainable by using social media diligently.

“As long as you can use it in a good way, it is very efficient,” Yakubovich said. “But you have to be cautious while using it and doing it for the right reasons.”

Newton South is looking for ways to work with students to decrease these dangerous consequences.

“[As the ways we] interact with each other evolve based on social media, and change in general, we need to be thinking about how we provide proper education,” Rubin said. “What students share, whether through South Senate or any other venue, we want to be able to respond to student needs.

“We try to be more proactive than reactive but when things like this come up, it is good to make sure that there is a dialogue so that the staff knows how to best support students dealing with these issues,“ Rubin said.