> Having people call you ugly all day is probably one of the worst parts of Instagram.

That’s not at all typical for Instagram. In fact, anyone being called “ugly” would do well to block whoever is making those comments, which is very easy on the platform.

> Hacker News isn't really a social media site since there's no concept of followers or friends here.

Hacker News is absolutely a social media. The comments section is all about social discussion and we have upvotes and downvotes.

You may like it more than other forms of social media because it lacks pictures, allows usernames instead of real names, and replaces likes with upvotes (and downvotes, arguably more toxic than likes). However, it’s still social media.