I was bullied in high school because I was so different.

I was also a new kid so it was hard to join an existing clique in a small town.

Online groups saved me. It not only let me stay in contact with my old friends, but also let me meet new people with similar interest so I didn't feel so alone.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. have mostly killed off the places where online groups formed when I was a kid.

Reddit seems just like every forum, but with a mostly default skin

Exactly. Subject specific forums and blogs are just ghost towns these days.

I don't think your story is uncommon especially for people who had trouble fitting in, however I would bet that places like facebook or instagram were not where you found your online groups. More likely to have been forums or online games. Very different environments and consequences.

Facebook is not "online groups", and it is known to statistically lead teenagers into higher rates of suicide.

Connect in person as a teen when everything is designed around cars and stuff a lot more expensive. Where cops arrested for you for loitering. Where people see kids going home from school as 'they're up to no good'. A lot of the past locations are gone and no longer accessible for todays youth. Even fast food places want you gone as fast as possible.

> social media is now about driving engagement with people who pay these companies to get eyeballs

That's what it is, but that's not how teenagers perceive it, I think.

I see it like this: if all your friends watch the news everyday and spend a lot of time talking about it, you will end up watching the news as well. To connect.

If all your friends watch a lot of sport and meet for that, you may well end up learning to enjoy sport as well.

If all your friends know the trends on TikTok and talk about it...