I know what you mean. Tangentially, I also liked the experience of gaming (FPS) more when you would choose a server from a list, which was hosted by some person

I know what you mean. Tangentially, I also liked the experience of gaming (FPS) more when you would choose a server from a list, which was hosted by some person or group other than the game company, and you played with whoever else happened to join, from outright beginner to expert. Often on community-created and self published maps that wouldn't meet the quality standards of a game company, but could be much more varied and novel. The players would be a mix of one-time visitors and some regulars who you could expect would be on every night or a few nights a week. One such server in TF2 was like the bar from Cheers to me for a couple years in my late teens. The modern experience of matchmaking is simpler to jump into, less intimidating, but it's empty and lifeless. Like candy vs. a meal. Anyway, back on the social media thing, I fear there is no reason for it to change. Success, for a recommendation algorithm, will always be defined as what keeps you on the site, scrolling and clicking. Success for a person, we can be fairly sure, is not that. So we will always be fighting the algorithms to try to keep our own "engagement" at the level that is good for us, not good for them.