Are social media platforms still real communities or just algorithm-driven noise?
I've noticed my own scrolling habits shift from genuine curiosity to a kind of autopilot boredom, and when I try to recall what I actually learned this week, it's mostly ads and outrage. Do social platforms like Instagram or TikTok still serve as real communities, or have they flattened us into passive consumers of algorithm-driven noise? I ask because my book club moved to Discord and it felt more like the old forums than anything I do on mainstream apps now. Maybe the answer depends on whether we treat these spaces as tools or as replacements for deeper connection, but I'm honestly torn.