I think you really overestimate the average user. Most people genuinely don't care to learn or engage. They see Reddit is popular on the App Store, download it, upvote whatever's on the frontpage, and that's the extent of what they know. That's what we're competing with.
Expecting everyone who comes to the Fediverse to do a whole bunch of research about different instances in order to pick out the best fit, do you actually think that's realistic to expect of most people? Most people will just use whatever's at the top of Google Play.
These kinds of options are great for power users like you and me, but most people are not power users. Expecting them to be is a form of gatekeeping that will keep the Fediverse from growing.
Picture your most technologically illiterate family member, who barely knows how to use Facebook as it is. The Fediverse has to be able to meet these kinds of users where they are. Some people want a simple popular server they don't have to think about.
sigelius