People don't know what choosing a server entails, because it does matter and a lot of people aren't exactly helpful when they say "just pick any" or "it's like email"

Server choice matters because:

1. Server might federate with a limited number of other servers;
2. Server might be blacklisted by some servers which you might want to interact with;
3. Servers can be running different versions of software, so people might think about security;
4. Servers can go offline
5. Server choice can significantly impact how people perceive you. "Oh look, another tankie from ml"

So, server choice matters and people coming in from corporate shit don't know how much they need to know to make an informed decision, thus giving up.

Problem is, younger people don't even do that when they make an email address.

They just "create a Gmail".

The internet has become such a sad place.

Because the term is loaded. There are technical implications (who will you be federated with and how do I connect with them?), and it's jurisdictional (which laws apply when I post here?). Also, for non-technical people, you only hear the word "server" in techno-babble word salad from movies. I don't blame them at all for being confused.

I initially looked up a few servers, then I chose one with decent size and no prohibitive policies. Less than 24 hours after creating the account I got banned without reason. I appealed. No answer.

I guessed I was just unlucky, so I found another decent looking server. After creating an account, it took around 2-3 hours and I was banned. I appealed. No answer.

I guess the username was a bit too random andmaybe looked like it was created by a bot. It had a lot of random letters, but it was my usual username. I would assume an appeal would sort it out. Or atleast lead me to an answer.

So my third attempt, I chose another server which looked fine and created a user with a simpler username. A few months later, the server shut down.

So now I'm on my 4th account.

It's not like it was a huge hassle to create the accounts, but it's also not like the system is without issues.

It is simple: nowadays security awareness is drilled in for most of the online population. If presented with a choice people can't oversee, the default safest option is not to chose. I mean, how many new Mastodon users know any of these servers?

So, as couter-intuitive or even ironic it may seem, the "problem" is choice. People need to learn that social media is no longer a single entity, but more like email or choosing a bank.

Well I was used to MMOs with different servers and I thought I’d have to create an account for each if I wanted to be with my friends. I didn’t know Mastodon was NOT a mere Twitter alternative, and I wasn’t familiar with the concept of the fediverse.

The most stupid users I come across on a daily basis are using Windows.