@rauschma Mastodon is only complicated because of the decentralisation. It's not obvious to new users what it means if you choose one server over another. I chose my server because I had no idea.
The Fediverse hasn't become more popular because it's not very diverse, imo. If you're here it's because you like computers and/or sometimes strident political discussion. Because there's barely any talk about anything else, my apolitical, non-techy friends aren't ever going to join me here.