I concur with your view. After taking a long break from social media, it becomes obvious what the issues are. Look at these and suggested posts for people wealthier, fitter, and presumably happier than myself. For some people, incessant exposure to that content is toxic. It makes me feel behind in life, and I feel better without constantly viewing it. When you doomscroll, it absolutely produces a positive feedback cycle and gets worse. And this cycle applies not to just the aforementioned Instafit-type content, it applies to politics, it applies everywhere. I had to stop reading /r/FatFIRE, but /r/financialindependence is fine.
I don't question that social media isn't great, although 1990s me knows I don't need addictive algorithms to fritter away all my time online, so I tend to find those arguments a bit overblown.
But I guess I'm just missing the gene that makes me compare myself to what I see online. Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of envy and jealousy throughout the course of my life. But I don't find that looking at my friends' vacations makes me less happy with my life, I enjoy living vicariously when they go on vacation, and sharing my own when I do the same. I don't compare myself to models. I don't need a picture of some greek god to tell me I'd like to lose those 20lbs again. I've often joked that I'll probably be anxious about ending up broke and destitute right up until the day I retire. (I'm doing well in my career and financial life, it will just always be a worry of mine). But I actively avoid the kind of content where the only goal is to bragpost, and I find it quite easy, because that kind of personality doesn't appeal to me.
Is it because I follow my friends on Facebook and Instagram, rather than "influencers"? I don't really care about Lambo some middle eastern prince just bought this week, or what purses some model owns. Maybe this is why I prefer Facebook to Twitter. I don't like the default-broadcast model of Twitter, I think that's what makes it toxic. On the other hand, the default-private model of Facebook that lets me just enjoy my friends' content also creates stronger echo chambers, I suppose.
