This is not the key (forcing yourself to engage).

No one is doing this on a properly working platform.

Proper content, and real, actual content consumers, who truly actually care about (preferably enjoy) the content.

Natural usage.

This would be the key.

Just like on any properly working platform.
This is what makes a platform properly working.

Test it:
Find a small Facebook group (with a few hundred members), and post a related thing into it. Something you also care about. You will certainly receive comments under your posts. Even if you do not write comments under other people's posts.