Finding/making friends on Lemmy is definitely possible. There are a handful of people I talk to outside of Lemmy every day that I originally met here a couple years ago.

I think it helps tremendously if you can find places to interact with others that are less combative than the news/politics/etc that can dominate the feeds here. If you have personal interests in music, movies, tv, or even just want to have casual conversations, there are plenty of communities for that here. Those places give everyone a chance to “break the ice” on a slightly more personal level that helps develop lasting friendships.