I think the default for get-togethers now is a 3rd space, like a bar or a food hall. I'm sure we're all spending more time at home than the 70s and 90s, but it still seems like every couple of weeks I'm going somewhere with friends/acquaintances. Its just not in people's houses.

Apparently around 2004 people started spending more money on food-away-from-home than food-at-home, and it has only increased from there. Dining out seems just much more standard now.

Did any of those links provide evidence that Instagram deliberately withholds likes? If not, it seems like a non-sequitur.

Nope. They changed and edited the comment a lot to continue adding things, but nothing about the original claim. It looks like a combination of goalpost moving and link-bombing to change the subject.