[mirimir]

That's so for me as well. I've never been able to stand Twitter. There are too many idiots, and even seemingly sane folk all too often act like idiots. But then, I can't stand Reddit, either.

Anyway, I've been tempted to try Mastodon. But I don't like the idea of joining a particular instance, and being unable to change later, without more-or-less starting over. If I or my instance got blacklisted, how would I be better off than being banned from Twitter? In either case, I could come back with an new identity, with new credentials.

[mxuribe]

The typical reply to your concern is that you have the freedom to initiate/manage your own instance. (Yes, there is also the possibility that you can join an instance and simply export your followers list, etc. But managing your own instance is far more resilient.) Now, as far as managing your own instance, admittedly, this requires skills, money, and time/attention...and if you lack any of those (or reasonably don't wish to invest time/attention), then managing your own instance isn't ideal for you - so I understand your dilemma. If, as you stated that preserving your identity (without having to re-create it often), is essential, there is no better solution to creating and managing your own instance. I do this myself; not because I care about re-creating my identity, but because i like to have control over the servers where i project myself, and also because I am admittedly a technologist and love to play with new software. It might be work - and it certainly is not free - but i do encourage you to at some point consider managing your own instance. Maybe play around a bit by first setting up a test instance with a fake/test identity for yourself, and connect with other users to test things out - for sure other users will definitely be willing to help. Then, you can determine if the investment (yes, in time ANd money) is worth hosting your own instance. Good luck!