Both of those things could be solved by just talking to people, and talking to people does not require you to use addiction machines.
I keep in touch with my friends abroad by emailing them when I think about them, and I get long form responses on what they are up to, not whatever is the public image filtered stuff that they may or may not be posting somewhere.
Everyone has their own strategy.
Why is it so difficult for half the people replying in this Show HN to accept that some people still want to use social media as social media and not just throw all of it out?