Yeah, the idea of ditching Reddit after so long is daunting. I'm tentatively liking Lemmy as a replacement, though it took a hot minute for me to understand how it works. I imagine it'll be a barrier to entry for many, but maybe that's not the worst thing. I just hope more people migrate.
I think you're right that trying to figure out how it all works will be a barrier for some and they won't bother. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, we'll just have to wait and see what kind of user base this grows into!