Don't feel too bad, i'm 24 turning 25 this month and virtually in the same state.
I'll probably be a little better off when I can get back into college, you're into socialism? Have you considered looking into any groups that were into politics?
Things are easier to talk about when people have likeminded interests, basically because anyone else interested in the same thing has the same problems bringing said interests into mainstream conversation.
What exactly do you look for in friendships? I'm not looking hard myself tbh, I like video games, psychology, debating, etc. If I want a friend to play video games with, I play online. If I want to talk with people who also have social difficulty I talk and post here.
I mean most people who are in those "friendships" you want aren't people you'd hang with anyway.