I'm not shocked at all.
Just nauseated.
Just nauseated.
The same people that say Instagram is destroying culture or makes them ill, look down upon the daily living habits of 'average' people: TV viewing habits, tabloid-style reading (which today is BoredPanda & 22words type sites), Kardashian-ism, celebrity fascination, all the way on to food preferences and beliefs.
That snobbery is as old as human history no doubt.
I agree with you that who are we to tell they're wrong though.
Of course, social media can and usually is doctored, but influencer culture definitely takes celebrity product endorsement and plays it out to its logical conclusion.
The dust hasn't quite settled, but everyone using social media to stunt on others does affect the mental health of people who consistently use these platforms. I'd say that it negatively impacts culture because it promotes building these facades and advertising said facades.