And note that such studies do not normally involve learning about the chemicals used in the paint, the electronics used in sound equipment, or the software architecture of the word processor.
At the very least, students should be taught how to be social scientists so that they could figure what sorts of apps are likely to succeed in a particular environment.
Formal studies in computer science teach the accumulated knowledge of building systems with algorithms. Its like learning the language, the grammar and vocabulary, a great writer needs. You're right, it is like learning about the chemicals in the paint, or more importantly the properties of your paint, your canvases and the brushes and techniques other artists have used. My point is that that is the useful knowledge.
Don't confuse universities offering a socially acceptable outlet for aspiring artists as a model for study and learning. You can probably build a great application without being a great computer scientist, but why would computer science want to be one of these sham fields of study when their are real tools and knowledge to be discovered.
See for example:
Your criticism of computer science, that they should eschew algorithms and theory in favour of applications, is entirely at odds with the media lab.
I don't understand why you want academia to steal your thunder so to speak, and take on the job of creating applications.
This is the undergraduate informatics curriculum which, as you'll notice, strictly includes social science courses throughout the first two years.