Doc Edward Morbius ⭕@feonixrift I suspect many of the people claiming that aren't going to be convinced, and that even trying is a wasted effort.
They'll come around when it becomes clear that this is where it's at (if that happens).
Fighting / arguing with them is ... largely ... a lost cause.
Though if you bump into someone you know IRL, paving the way may help.
I agree that "treat your first account as a starter experience" --- learn the ropes, then find out where you plan to stay / stick around --- is probably useful advice.
It also suggests an opportunity for onboarding: instances which offer time-limited trial profiles for sounding out the network, say, 2--4 weeks, after which the profile expires (or perhaps forwards to elsewhere.
(This ... might actually address a number of issues / concerns, including the spam/bot problem.)
All GNU social JP content and data are available under the