@kissane As a relatively new user, I would definitely say the search/discoverability issue is preventing me from becoming attached to Mastodon. I think users can live without the algorithms, but it's tough to live without robust indexing.
Also, this is the only place on the internet where people can debate an issue, and the 2 parties debating have different character limits. That just chafes at your egalitarian instincts.
@dpom @kissane search needs improvement. The tip of using hashtags to find interesting people to follow is a pretty major multi-tap way of working.