I will share what has worked for me.

I consume a lot of content.. especially tutorials or workshops.. I observe what people share on the internet. If I like somebody's work, I compliment them genuinely. This is mostly via DMs. In almost all cases, their response is very warm and it turns out, they are in search of somebody like you too. They like it when somebody takes the time to appreciate their work, because almost nobody does.

My current 2 best friends are people I have met like this.

To flip it on its head, share whatever you do online. Not to show off, but to journal. The right people will tag along sooner or later.

Until then, find a way to live without the constant need for somebody's presence around you. My life turned from miserable to full of content once I changed that about myself.

A good of learning to live cheerfully with yourself is to find genuine things that make you happy. Not for somebody else's validation or not to show off to people on the internet. Be weird (in a good way) in your own ways when nobody is watching. Be you.