I'd move to a closer instance, if I new they were in it for the long run and not shut down when they get bored after a few months.
What happens if the instance I'm registered to decides to shut down?
I have to agree here. I went through this same issue with Mastodon when I joined a smaller instance "mastodon.lol". It shut down without any apparent notice to me (using a third-party app). I had to start from scratch and mastodon even has an account migration feature.
I can't in good conscience tell a less technical friend "oh go use a smaller instance" when that means they can come across a dead-looking thread or community (that just hasn't been federated to them yet) or suddenly lose their account when their instance disappears with little to no notice.
I'm starting to realize that it's only the links that are decentralized and not, what I'd hoped for but was maybe obvious, my data/account.
I've asked over at !fediverse@lemmy.world if anyone can register any nickname on any instance - essentially spoofing a user but on a different instance. Or if a username is "taken" across the fediverse.
Edit: anyone can register any ones username on a different instance. Spoofing/scamming isn't handled very good?
Edit2: post and comment data is federated too, so your posts won't dissappear, but might dis-converge(?) into multiple versions depending on things? :) This post helped me understand some of it: https://lemmy.world/comment/205763