I stopped looking at traditional social media [Hive is technically still social media] a long time ago. It is as you said, the highlights of people's lives. While it is good to see my friends happy, it does make my life feel too boring in comparison. That is why I just talk to my friends via messenger most of the time these days. I can hear about their trip from them directly.
Yes it is, but I also put it in a different category to mainstream, as there are no algorithms :)
There used to be "slide nights" where people would actually meet to talk about a trip, show pictures - eat, have a glass of wine, talk about the world. We have taken out the richness of the conversation - which is worth a post ;)