This is where the culture stuff comes in: Bluesky is hostile in different ways to new normie users and to new power users. The absence of a default algorithm makes Bluesky quite boring and difficult to a new user. Yes, there are starter packs and custom feeds, etc, but that’s all quite complicated. Just like most users don’t use Linux on desktop, most people want a plug-in-and-play social experience. Bluesky isn’t that.

Or maybe all text-based social media (including Bluesky) has become riven by politics, which is exhausting and just not that much fun.