Hate to say it, but I think you’re giving the average person way too much credit. Most people are just not that smart.

“Think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize that half of them are stupider than that.” - George Carlin

Average and below internet users are not the kind of people you meet on Lemmy. They are people like the aging Gen-Xer who doesn’t know the difference between “the internet” and a web browser, or the kid whose parents shoved a tablet in their face to get them to be quiet for an hour.

Most people want computers to be an appliance like a washing machine - the thought that they can shape their own experience on their phone or computer never even occurs to them.