Total Market Index Funds VS. High Dividend payouts

I have some money I'd rather invest than let it lose its value in my savings account. I have a friend who has 100k in various weekly dividend ETFs or yield boost stocks of other stocks (like TSYY) that makes him roughly 4k a month. However, I'm scared to invest in that as it seems to be a high risk strategy. I recently learned about total market index funds, and I'm unsure which way to go. The dividend route almost seems too good to be true, but the rate of return is insane.

Just generally looking for some education on this matter before I make a mistake.