Yeah, good luck preventing forced "upgrades/updates" every time a new Windows OS comes out too. No thanks, I'll take my software locally thank you haha.
While I agree in the sense that influencers and greedy corps are less than desirable I also believe that the internet as a whole is better federated. Even if that includes bringing in the bullshit. With individually owned instances the users have better control in general. I don't agree with hoping certain types will stay away. I'd rather the entire social mediasphere (is that a word?) turn into a decentralized network of social media. Join instances you believe will maintain your core values and what you'd like to see. I am personally trying to be selective about the Instance(s) I use and hoping that'll ultimately reshape my social media experience for the better. Everyone, including annoying influencers should get that opportunity as well.
I'm using Liftoff until Boost (formerly Boost for Reddit) releases their app. Boost was an amazing experience on Reddit so I have to imagine it'll be equally good with Lemmy. So far Liftoff has been very good though. No real complaints but would love to see more customization options in the future.