Yes, I would suggest following more people, then as you see interesting things they post, explore who likes it and maybe follow them too. It takes a bit more work than hving it served to you, but then you also arent being manipulated or used as product. I will even look at who likes my posts, even if they dont comment, and then find people that way.

In Amethyst, they released a DVM for note discovery that makes this process easier. More tools are being developed as well. I enjoy the process of being early and bumbling about, because it is really neat and cool to experience nostr's growth over time.