I realize that Mastodon is specifically intended not to have any sort of algorithm, and I understand and appreciate that, but it’s not what I want, personally. I want to have the posts in my feed sorted by the ones with the most “engagement” as those are likely the most interesting ones.
Trending shit is what brought us to the present moment: with facebook and twitter (I refuse to call it x) and tiktok and all the others pushing lots of shit and lots of other shit to the great enshittification of the internet and our lives. So, no, we don’t need trends. We need social interaction the way it’s supposed to be.
So say that. One word answers don’t contribute anything, don’t explain anything, and come off as, at best, insulting and dismissive.
Already agree with you, by the way. For exactly the reasons you just outlined. Well, except that I’ve taken to calling it “the bird site” because I don’t think it deserves a proper noun.