ArtemisSome Fedi users don't know how much their experience is shaped by the instance they are on, so if you don't like the experience you're having (whether it's too many interactions you don't want to have OR a too "filtered" experience where you are not connecting with as wide a variety of people & opinions as you would like), look into the moderation & federation choices of your instance.
I find dice.camp to be a pretty decent balance for what I want. It's not super-restrictive the way some instances are, but it is also not open to everything.
My instance restricts mastodon.social which does reduce my reach somewhat & definitely limits who I can interact with, but the payoff is very, very low rates of harassment. It's a trade-off which is worth it to me (& admins give users chances to provide feedback when making decisions like that).
It meets my needs well, so if you're a gamer, I say "come on over! It's a great Fedi-home!" but there are so many great instances run by people trying to give people a really positive Fedi experience. We all use Fedi differently, so you may prefer a different approach from your admins.
That's fine & dandy, but I just wanted to bring your attention to the fact that if you don't like your Fedi experience, trying out a different instance might be worth it.
If you are on a large instance with unrestricted sign-ups, you may also be missing a lot of Fedi & not know it, because instances like mine may restrict your instance or not federate with it at all (it is too difficult to keep up with harassers & bad actors).
So if you are on mastodon.social or similar, moving to a small instance may counterintuitively actually increase the variety of what you get to see, as you'll be connected to some areas of Fedi you were cut off from before.
I'm glad you're on Fedi, friends
I understand why a lot of people choose to join the large instances with unrestricted sign-ups: joining Fedi is weirdly intimidating, especially if you have to *ask* to join something. Lots of us struggle with not feeling welcome, so that little extra barrier can feel big.
There's no shame in that, but now that you're on Fedi & feeling a bit more comfortable, you could consider finding a new home that's more suited to you & your needs.
Marta
Charnock