Yeah, I think without algorithms nostr will always be a 'flatter' social network. This is both a feature and a bug.

The benefit is that every note is equal and has to be organically good to get shared and for the user to gain followers.

The downside is that many good notes are lost.

An ecosystem of open source algorithms may be the solution to let users choose their filter. But this introduces gaming of the algorithm and a less authentic experience.