Maybe they should update the join-lemmy.org page to suggest joining smaller instances. They put popular instances at the top and presumably that’s what everyone wants to join.
Edit: and then randomize the list of smaller instances to further distribute the load.
And many uninformed newcomers (like myself) assume that they can only directly interact with people or communities on their home instance, so the large ones get hit even more.
Maybe they should update the join-lemmy.org page to suggest joining smaller instances. They put popular instances at the top and presumably that’s what everyone wants to join.
Edit: and then randomize the list of smaller instances to further distribute the load.
Yes, that’s most likely the cause.
And many uninformed newcomers (like myself) assume that they can only directly interact with people or communities on their home instance, so the large ones get hit even more.