Like Lemmy or any social media really, you get out what you put in. If you just follow the generic feed without following anyone, yeah it's going to suck.

You can make lists, so one for your friends, one for news, one for a hobby. Or you can filter hash tags to really narrow in on a topic. People also make "starter packs" of who to follow for any topic you can think of.

This format is also unbeatable for breaking events.

If you avoided Twitter, why would you think you'd like its alternative?

It's just a microblog site. Depending on what you're interested in, it can be good for news, social movements, updates from companies (i followed game devs and would see patch notes and things), keeping up with celebrities or content creators, following topics or hobbies you're interested in (like you might here), or like when nearly everyone was on Twitter - just seeing what trending things people are talking about. If something is going on, like the Mike tyson Jake Paul fight, seeing everyone's takes on it, jokes, memes, can be fun for people or make them feel connected.