It is probably a good thing that I don't know who are the bots or catfish lol. Serious question from someone in melancholy land. Do you think one could make real life friends here?

Yes, absolutely! I have many online friends who I absolutely adore and would meet in a heartbeat. I actually gained two close friends (locally) from some twitter drama 3 or so years ago and they make it worth every ridiculous moment 😂