Asklemmy

Education probably. Back in the day people didn't have any problem understanding that different forums had different capabilities. When MMOs were in full swing, people didn't have problems understanding what being on thr popular server during peak hours meant.

Everyone has just gotten too used to centralization with a lot of money behind it. Eventually people will adjust their expectations. Even if Meta's fediverse attempt takes off, there are always going to be niche communities that exist outside of those spheres, so if people want that, they'll have to move.

The point of the fediverse is having a choice. Some people are going to chose megacorp of the week's offering and that's okay as long a little pockets exist for when people get mad at the megacorp. Also federation leaves space for multiple dominant platforms in a way the current system doesn't.

In short, eventually some instances are going to be bankrolled either through a robust crowdcourcing effort or through being a company. That's okay. The purpose of the fediverse is to allow for smaller niche ideas to be able to breathe without having to adhere to one group's ideals. "If you don't like it, make your own" is a fair statement now