The lie: "Social media is not a real place". The truth: "Social media is a reflection of the tangible social life."
I am in not less than 20 WhatsApp groups, and that number does not include the temporary ones that get disbanded after completion of what they were set up for or the defunct ones. If my WhatsApp settings were not restrictive, I would be in hundreds, because every single day, I get requests to join some group or another, especially by people I have no connection with.