Is trying to reconnect with old friends/ become closer to acquaintances a lower stakes way of making friends?

Ok so let me explain my title: lower stakes in regards to anyone who gets anxious around new people. I want to become friends with more people, but many of my current friendships either feel one sided or not really reciprocal. Like I’ll get coffee with them or message them here and there but they won’t reach out first (or they do just far less frequently). I had a friend ask to make plans, then she canceled, so I asked her to hang out a week later and she was busy. But she hasn’t really reached out. Now I know people get busy and all, but I’ve been kind of isolated because of the nature of many of my friendships.

I’m trying to make some online connections too. But I feel kind of lonely or alone? I had best friends throughout my life where I was very close to either 1 or 2 people and that ended more or less in high school. Now I want to make new friends but using meetup or bff is hit or miss and mostly miss. If I try to reach out to acquaintances or old friends I feel we already have some sort of baseline, even if it may not go anywhere? I’m not sure if this even makes sense.