It became the only reliable source of information I had. People posted links with a minimal amount of commentary, picking and choosing the best content from other social media networks. They’re not doing it to “build a brand” because that’s not a thing in the Fediverse. It’s too disjointed to be a place to build a newsletter subscription base.
I’m definitely not a socialist. .ml is where I landed when I joined due to not knowing any better and joining the largest (at the time) instance, and honestly the outside hate is keeping me there.