And most importantly - there isn't millions of dollars spent to market it to people. You have to go out of your way to learn about Mastodon or federation in general, and as you say, their reputations precede them.

There are a lot of reasons why. Mastodon apps are not pretty. The logo is not attractive. Ivory is more or less Tweetbot for Mastodon which is miles ahead of any other client for either platform as far as visuals go. Logo is is debatable.

The signup where you need to pick the server for some reason is confusing. Only "confusing" on many of the open source offerings since they weren't made with general users in mind.

The reputation Mastodon already has among the general public, that it’s the place for Linux enthusiasts, is not doing it any more favors. ?

You say that the algorithms have ruined everything but it’s just not true. When was the last time you heard someone embrace hate on the internet? The whole point of algorithms is to fuel engagement which is done best with controversial content targeting polar opposites.

The platform doesn’t suggest me any new people to follow. It does, you have the initial list which features popular users like eugen, george takei, etc. in the recommended users carousel. You can also go to explore people to see recommendations based on who you follow and who those you follow follow. Perhaps I should have been clear that the problem users feel is content algorithms trying to bait engagement, which is something Mastodon, unlike every other platform out there, doesn't do - because it's psychological hell fueled entirely by hatred and while it drives addiction it entirely removes any rich content, constructive debate or interests, which I'd assume was the MAIN reason people wanted to be on social media in the first place, but you can't have that if you want an addictive platform.

I’ve been trying to keep my Mastodon account active for two years and I’ve been posting some random shit the same way I did on Twitter. I’ve been looking for some fun idiots but there are none, it’s all uptight serious people who are honestly pretty insufferable to read. I deleted my Mastodon account half a year ago and the one thing I appreciate is how easy it was — just a couple of clicks and you’re done. So it's a you problem. If you haven't setup any hashtags or accounts then obviously you're not going to see any relevant content to your interests. I'm not sure what you mean by fun idiots but I've blocked plenty of both hashtags and users on Mastodon because they're the type of individual who thrive on hostility, so there's plenty of that shit if that's what you like. Just gotta go look for it.