I come back every year or so and play for a month or two each time, still haven’t spent money on it (but starting to think I should, to support the devs)

Can confirm, I usually got Pepsi when I asked for Coke (not unexpected).

Lived in Quebec, Canada up until recently. My family called it coke.

I feel like I’ve been seeing more posts and comments though, and looking at those, they seem to still be rising (although probably influenced by bots).

I wonder if the spike of active user may be caused by people first trying it out (then giving up), followed up by people making several accounts on different instances before settling for one or two.

Agreed. I haven’t been on an instance that federates with them yet and I’d like to keep it that way.

What’s cool about the fediverse is that we get to choose.

Do I want to be in an instance that federates with everyone, good and bad?

Pros:

• More content.
• Potentially insightful debate.

Cons:

• More negativity.
• Potentially giving a platform to extremists.

Or do I want to be in an instance that defederates on a whim?

Pros:

• More positive content.
• Taking a strong stance against extremism.

Cons:

• Less content.
• Potentially missing insightful debate.

Personally, debate I’ve had that was insightful was generally in good faith to begin with, and would be allowed on platforms like Beehaw, so I don’t see much use for “anything goes” kinds of platforms. Additionally, I’m not always in the mood for debate. I can just switch between different instances depending on my mood. Given that everyone can choose their instance, I don’t see much of a reason for trying to federate with everyone.