How did you lose anything ? The fediverse is one way to communicate. IRC, email, BBS, gopher are all ways plebiscited by fediverse enthusiasts to also communicate because there is no one tool that can do everything. If mastodon is not for you, use something else; no one blames you
You need to take a step back, and look at what the average Joe is actually using. Don't assume that because your programmer friends use these obscure protocols for everyday communication that everyone is.
So average Joe can keep using whatever they're using, fine ! There is no obligation for them to migrate, and there is no reason underpaid overworked volunteers should make it easy for Joe to switch, especially if Joe is not open to change.
