How Social Media Has Changed Over the Years

Lately I've been feeling stuck and somewhat frustrated with the projection of my social media channels. I have been out of the game for awhile and things have really changed from what I remembered. I feel like there are so much advertisement, promotions and... frills. Every video/ post is another push for a product. I get that companies are trying to get their products to sell but seeing how this has become the predominant nature of social media content kind of... discourages me. As a young woman in my mid twenties I feel like there are various concerns that I'm growing to have as I age, but why aren't those things talked about on social media? Every account out there seems to only show the beautiful, happy, funny moments of their lives filled with sponsorships and free trips offered by partnering companies. But what about actual concerns like what do I do when I'm starting to see wrinkles and sagging? What do I do when I start to gain weight due to a slower metabolism? Yes it's nice to see bloggers post pretty pictures of themselves in fashionable clothes and go on exotic vacation trips. It's nice to see visually pleasing things. But at the same time they also make me feel like how come I'm not as pretty or why can't I afford to go on those trips and have that life style? :( Why don't people talk about their every day struggles on social media? What about mental health? What about things that worry us and things that we don't understand? On the rare occasions that I do see people talk about these things on the slightest, the response from the audience is usually some sort of backlash, showing disdain towards one's "vanity". But is it really vanity when every other person on social media also has these concerns and may even seek alterations but never talks about it?  Does the audiences even want to see or watch anything aside from the pretty and happy? I don't even know. I don't want to be another sheep in the crowd surrounded by an invisible bubble of convention. But what I notice is that on posts and videos that I "follow the trend and what's in" there is usually a higher and more positive reception from the audience. Then the question becomes do I want to conform to create content for the audience to "like" me and to grow my social media as a business or do I just want to create content that I like and feel truthful and honest to myself? Why do I even post on social media? Ideally I would like to post things I want to post and have the appropriate exposure with the right people who are interested to see that type of content but social media has evolved into something that if you don't "follow" the crowd then you'll inevitably "fail". So I guess the struggle continues...

I miss the days when social media was relatable.

Anyway, I just had this little thought dialogue in my head today.
Thought I'd share.