Yeah, I see the irony of saying that in a comments section on the internet.
Instagramming the trail when I went for a walk last night^1 didn't make anyone smarter, but it allowed me to share a piece of beauty from my day that could quite possibly have made them feel happier.
That said, I disagree entirely with the idea that people are not more informed because of social media. The first reports of the raid resulting in the death of Osama Bin Laden came from a civilian in Islamabad who was live-tweeting about the sound of helicopters overhead^2. Say what you will about Twitter/Facebook, but they were both instrumental in the Arab Spring and helped revolutionaries topple numerous oppressive regimes.
The news is being broken and made on social media. It's a communication tool unlike anything humanity has ever had access to, so some people will continue to swing it wildly like a child who has just been given a toy hammer, but that does not negate its efficacy in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing.
1: http://instagram.com/p/aHyO-UgngM/ 2: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/05/02/osama.twitte...
As for the instagramming, here's a counterpoint:
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/01/the_a...
Sharing what makes you happy doesn't necessarily makes others happy.
And as convenient as social media was in speeding up the spread of news for the OBL raid and coordination for Arab Spring, it's also lead to witch hunts (Boston Bombings), and general spread of false information (politics anyone?).
You're right, some people suck and using social media, and others are very efficient at it. But I think for what purpose someone uses a tool is important.
The typical facebook wall post will host plenty of interaction. The typical glued-on comment section with spambot frosting? Perhaps not.