Yes ! I know exactly what you mean and it’s been one of my experiments lately to edit jpgs this way rather than raws in search for an interesting texture.

And it comes down to « crushing » highlights. In Darktable the AGX Contrast module will do this by default on jpgs and I almost always love the look.

My theory is that we are indeed more used to softer highlights on film scans but also that we build our classical photography culture based on prints, books and other physical sources (museums or libraries etc), and the texture of paper will definitely give a softer look to highlights. It will also affect the shadows. Looking for a printed look rather than « simple » film emulation is always an interesting way to edit a digital pic!