[phs318u]

Would social media be the bane it is, if:

1. There was no algorithm tweaking your feed. Promoting something and suppressing something else.

2. Creators were not paid.

3. Advertisements were randomly allocated irrespective of the content.

4. There were no such thing as likes.

5. Users had the option to pay for an ad-free experience.

[rbanffy]

Probably yes. The misperception of general consensus would be skewed by the bubble you follow. For instance, if all the people you follow are flat earthers, you might form the perception this is a sensible point of view. Same for vaccines, the war against Iran, Cuba, and so on.