Yes, definitely.
At times when I'm really busy, I'll even occasionally blacklist it to avoid distractions. The feelings HN gives me are very similar to the feelings that Reddit/Facebook would give me. I think that platforms like Reddit have additional downsides that HN has managed to avoid, but HN is a social forum.
It is well-moderated (thanks dang!), it doesn't have the critical mass of users which leads to wider adoption, it has a narrow focus on thought-provoking material, it is pseudonymous, and you don't need to download an app to use it.
But even though I occasionally learn useful things from HN, I still think it fits the definition of "social media": it is a way to waste time when you are otherwise lonely and bored, and it involves interacting with other people.
Maybe random forums are better, but I don’t consider those social media really.
>"However, I’m not the most social of person, and I’m rarely on social media other than here so I could definitely be wrong."
Do you people of the HN consider HN as a social media?
I personally don't, to me it feels more like an aggregator of knowledge and useful opinions.
The way I read HN is that I first look at the comments, and then based on that decided if I'll read the article.
I understand why social medias exist, but to me they feel useless and quite often they have many serious negative effects. None of which are present here on HN.