I think of yt-dlp, Discord, or Debian (Debian proper, not downstream distros like Ubuntu), the order in which ordinary, non-computer people are likely to us them is, from most to least likely, Discord then yt-dlp then Debian.
I agree that there are probably more users of Discord and yt-dlp outside of the computer field than Debian users. However, people who use computers do use an operating system, and typically have/require somebody that they ask for help when they can't fix it. The question was, why Debian on a Desktop. Like other commenters, I had great success moving people to Debian because all they need nowadays is a browser, and it requires a lot less maintenance (by themselves or third parties) than other distributions. Most "ordinary" people just want their system to stay the same, and are not enjoying constantly having to adapt to new UIs.
It is targeted towards humans. The person managing the Debian system is not necessarily its user base. I find that I can easily introduce people to the few concepts they need to understand and then they can use it almost as fluently as their previously never really grasped Windows. And it gets in their way way less often. The experience on any and all operating systems for most users seems to be to have to confirm random dialogs at random points in time, with random words assembled almost like hieroglyphs, to get back to what they wanted to do.
I drive a car. For almost anything besides wiper water, gas and oil in terms of maintenance, I go to a mechanic. OK, yes, in theory I know how to change tires, and I even have the tools to do it myself, but I let a workshop do it for me, purely out of convenience. I couldn't care less about the guts of the car; the only thing I care about is how often it annoys me and basically requires me to bring it to a mechanic. Is the motor "not targeted at me"?
This is how most people I know see and use their computers/tablets/phones.
