"This is effective for the platforms to generate ad revenue, but it heavily undermines interpersonal skills required for real-world connections and healthy relationships."
There are many really telling lines in your note (seriously, thank you so much for writing about this topic!) and I had to stop and read carefully several times because I have personally encountered these cases more than once and I was really confused:
I've been lucky enough to meet some artists or "instagram influencers" in person and with all the respect they deserve as people (they're not bad people) for their efforts... I felt a bit cheated because the person you see in these profiles is not the one you see in person; and I say I felt cheated because they show themselves as charismatic, great connoisseurs of a subject, but in person you find that they have only a small layer of culture, all very superficial, very simple, and even too little knowledge of the topics that their main niches are supposed to deal with.
That is: They are not really specialists in a subject with a great personality or a great message to share, no, they are people who have worked out the right formula to convince you that they are.
"Behaviour is important for groups, not individuals."
It is very true when you say that the formulas that work in the digital world do not work in real life. I think that hyper-individualism is a way of life that will not last long, it is not sustainable for health, either mentally, emotionally or economically.
It is not surprising to see now that many people with apparent professional success are redirecting their energy and time to their friends, to their family, to slow down the dizzying pace of life they have been leading. I have seen the demise of great influencer websites and channels because their authors, as human beings, were hyper-exhausted and depressed.
And even from that, there are now "new types of influencers" talking about responsible consumption and slowliving, it's really fascinating 📲 🔍