Social networks, just like in real life, can be useful if you find yourself in an environment that is more educated and at the same time extremely intelligent than you. You are developing.

But in the case of a well-educated person, you end up among the rednecks in 99% of cases, one way or another, and in the end you receive a psychological blow from them, just as in life.

It's all about intrigue and the search for profit, the search for a victim on which you can psychologically unload.

Most of the population is not a critical thinker and does not have their own meaningful, thoughtful and rational point of view based on critical thinking. This part of the population, as in real life, flocks to the herd seeking protection in it, but most often finds dependence.

People are looking for shepherds or victims. And very rarely do they find real support from real altruists with much more life experience than they have. Because your personal problems are of no interest to anyone in the herd, everyone is climbing over other people's heads.

Children under 16 years old have nothing to do on social networks and they need to be legally removed from there. Personally, I would ban the appearance there (in their current crazy form, where the filthy censors of the owners of these networks are formally exempt from liability in the USA under the 230 law, but at the same time trample on the rights to free expression of opinions, thereby violating the 230 law initially for their own private benefit public field) and the population up to approximately 25 years of age. When people in general already have some life experience of independent existence and responsibility.

Are social media good or bad?

Yes

*sigh*

I'm going to date myself here but here goes...

Before "Social Media" and the "Internet" and "Computers" there were these odd things called "clubs" and "groups".

People with common interests would gather around and interact about THAT interest and often others as well. "Sub groups" would form and split.

In the 1980's many colleges had computers that were interconnected via a 'internet'. As 'personal computers' made their way into consumers homes and were outfitted with a "modem" consumers could call other computers (often called "builtin board systems" or BBS's) and exchange files and messages.

While on college campuses "usenet newsgroups" proliferated with a 'group' for just about any/every topic imaginable out in consumer space BBS's were making use of "store & forward" technology to "leap frog" around the nations (and world) bringing topics and respondents from all edges of telephone & power delivery.

In those days send/reply might take DAYS however it was all subsidized by countless computer hobbyists around the world.

When the internet (mostly the WWW) became accessible by consumers simple "text" was quickly replaced with images and sound. While a seemingly SNAIL's speed (as compared to today) it was much more "instant" then what was before.

So what is the point of the history lesson?

People have always gathered together with shared interests. However in 2024 capitalism has found a way to monetize it.

Bandwidth, server space and servers cost $$$. They all have to be paid for somehow.