It's a shame that so many people are joining mastodon[.]social and having a bad experience. Unless you enjoy consuming the internet from a fire hose, you're gonna have a bad time. Moderation there is likely not going to align with your needs.
I am fortunate to have been following @nova on Twitter and saw her posting about #hachyderm, such that I was able to migrate to hachyderm.io after only 12 days of joining the fediverse. Even though it's grown to >20k users, the local feed is still readable!
I also have to acknowledge that I am a cis het white-presenting half-Latina who has English as a first language and works in tech, and there’s undeniable privilege that comes with that. I usually feel like I am not a target in new spaces, and that is an experience that is not afforded to many people.