Someone made the observation that the problems started when things changed from social networking (family/friend) to social media. From actually keeping up with people to 'keeping up' with content.

Turns out most people don’t have a friends and family group that can generate exciting content at a rate that most people want. The platforms oblige this with “reshares” and “you may also like” content, and eventually everyone’s like “who gives a s*t about aunt Millie’s cupcake recipe, check out this dude trying to skateboard off of the Eiffel Tower!”

We went from sharing with people we knew to performing for people we don't

Yes. Social sites had a card blanche to publish anything without consequences because it was user-generated content.

Social sites used that power to publish their own stuff under the same protection.

That has broken the system. Social media sites are 100% responsible for all the misinformation, scams, and hate that they publish or promote. And they should be legally accountable for it.

"We are not accountable because the users are the ones posting the media"... but we post and promote whatever we want is a terrible way for the world to work.