Every day I’m more convinced that the Fediverse’s slow mainstream adoption isn’t really about usability.

People say it’s because it’s hard to join, the terms are confusing, or the apps aren’t polished enough. Maybe a little. But honestly… look at the platforms people already use.

Finding anything on LinkedIn is painful.
Trying to locate the original video on TikTok is a scavenger hunt.
Facebook is still full of weird bugs and odd UI choices.
Instagram hides posts behind algorithms.
Twitter/X constantly changes the rules of engagement.

None of these platforms are exactly “easy.”

People stay because their friends are there. Because the big creators are there. Because that’s where the conversation already lives.

And, if we’re honest, because these platforms are engineered around a very effective reward loop: notifications, likes, infinite scroll. A dopamine machine. You learn the confusing terms and awkward interfaces because there’s a constant reward for doing so.

So yes, making the Fediverse easier to join absolutely helps.

But what would help even more is something simpler:
more mainstream, recognizable, official accounts showing up here.

That’s how networks grow.
People follow people not platforms.

#Fediverse #ActivityPub #Mastodon

@mapache the obvious elephant in the room: massive marketing.
@claudius I know, I have think about it, but that means probably dirty money. Or regulations.

@mapache I mean this in more ways than one. My favorite thing to point out is early 2010s iPhone ads. They used their 20 seconds to explain one detail about the iPhone UI each. One clip about the home button. One about voicemail etc.

While pointing out "how easy it is" they actually explained the steps that were not much more easy or hard to millions of people. Who then got their phones and were convinced these devices were easy to use (because they already learned most things from the ads).

@mapache here's a big collection. Not every single one falls into this category, of course. But MOST will show some aspect of how it's used with a big closeup of the screen.

They showed what to use stuff for, why they should care and then how to actually do it. All packed into a couple of seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlFfqVJ7trc

Every iPhone Ad (2007-2017) 2G - 7 Plus

YouTube