I wonder if it's not the difficulty or features that keep some people from joining the #fediverse, I wonder if most people are shy about making overt political commitments.
Because to be sure, using #Mastodon or #Firefish is a defiant and overt political act. It says a lot about what a person thinks is important, and what they are willing to be inconvenienced by in order for us all to achieve something as a society.
Speculation: Once a political statement has been made though, it's probably more damaging socially or psychologically to abandon it. Leading people to be shy of politically progressive acts that might fail to get to critical mass.
I don't know about #Firefish, #Calckey and #Misskey being inconveniencing. Maybe - if user considers most of its features a bloat and they have to put up with this anyway because of the #PeerPressure ("Don't sit on #Mastodon and #Pleroma, they don't even have essentials!") - then it must be inconveniencing. But I'd say it describes the same trap a lot of mainstream "Everything" platforms get into pretty well. It's barely a position to be in terms with such sites, IMO - yes, they are less of a detriment than Instagram Reels, but it doesn't send a message.
Political enthusiasts will find their way on the various platforms, no matter how obscure. And this in itself is the message.
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