Have you ever scrolled through Instagram and wondered how the beautiful, posh people in your newsfeed got to be so famous? Turns out, there’s a lot more to being a social media icon than having a winning smile and being savvy with an iPhone.

While tips like using hashtags and tagging popular celebrities may slightly increase your following on Instagram, it surely doesn’t guarantee the opportunity to travel the world and get paid to take breathtaking pictures. So what does being Instagram famous really entail?

Mashable defines Instagram fame as something that comes with “perks such as thousands of “likes,” adoration in the comment section, along with cash and freebies from brands desperate to reach young consumers.” In general, you need around 10,000 followers and a lot of talent to truly make a decent living off Instagram, but those who are successful at it appear to have cracked open a whole new industry. In fact, the demand for hip photographers and models on Instagram “has grown so great that entire agencies have sprung up around promoting a new class of social-savvy creatives.” Read more

Brands in the digital age are now actively seeking out Instagrammers who reach their particular product demographic and social media celebrities are earning quite the living because of it. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly common to see real money going towards Instagram idols for the purpose of promoting a particular brand, location, or product.

So what’s the key to success?

What it really comes down to is creating a ‘dream world’ that’s just outside the realm of possibility. Knowing your audience and what they desire is what makes this industry so popular, and Instagram has revolutionized the way visual story tellers showcase their talent, get fans, and earn money. Young and beautiful socialites have without a doubt become the perfect medium for brands and businesses to promote these heavily sought-after lifestyles.

However, although many are envious of the glamorous lives of professional Instagrammers, it may come at a price. In actuality, pictures can often times be deceiving when it comes to the photos shared by the rich and Instagram famous. According to the Huffington Post, “What we see on social media cannot be trusted — it is being shown to us through a physical and creative lens that has been edited, altered, and staged.” In fact, many Instagram celebrities have actually resorted to unhealthy habits in the pursuit of the perfect Instagram photo.

So while this distorted representation of reality is certainly generating the cash, is it all really worth it?