I agree with pretty much everything you've stated except for:

The problem is, too many people keep trying to think, how can we make the Fediverse relevant in the modern world?

I dont think this is a problem. The fediverse accomplishes exactly what it sought to do, a decentralized social network. This is uncharted territory and has been working out surprisingly well. I thought I would be off this 2 months after reddit killed 3rd party clients, but here I am!!

the minute we start to push growth at any cost is the minute the fediverse quality declines, in my opinion.