I view this as a fresh start. Cut off the old and grow a new one. Just like a gecko. I spent a lot of time on reddit but I can't say I ever actually connected with another person on it, there were just too many people on even the small subs I joined. Maybe lemmy will bring back the small internet forum feel and we'll actually be able to stand out from the crowd better and actually get to know each other.
I feel that the inevitable fragmentation of larger communities in federated social networks will just give conversations more room to breathe. We'll be able to get to know members of our own local server instead of just drifting around in a sea of meaningless names.