It works "well enough".
unless you tune into the echo chamber most instances are, you’re not going to have interesting conversations.
I don't get this. I've had many interesting conversations with people on Mastodon. And there are a number of interesting people I follow.
there is a lack of actually interesting oc posting people on the masto side of the fediverse.
This is a problem solved by more people joining... And from my POV Mastodon is far more stable and mature than Lemmy is. I've had better conversations there without being swarmed by tankies and ultra-partisans as well.
Perhaps you've chosen bad people to follow?