I mean, are companies really paying attention to user needs? Lol
Look, the user needs to see stuff that keeps them engaged. That keeps them coming back for more. Algos are designed to achieve exactly that. Your self chosen bubble of followings and interests may not be optimized for engagement and addiction.
No, the companies don't pay attention to user needs, they pay attention to the bottom line.
yeah, that's kind of an issue. Many communities exist more than once on multiple instances. Then again, this can also be a benefit. Maybe one of them isn't to your liking -> choose another one. Or one of them goes down -> there's a backup.