@mulander @Michcioperz yes this! I have only ever participated in the fediverse through my own instance which is just me and a handful of very occasional users, so my federated timeline still looks very similar to my home timeline, yet it is just enough "extra" that I can slowly grow my connections.
If you aren't up to the task of self hosting at least pick a small instance that has a community compatible with your interests. Works better than any algorithmic filters have done!