let's be realistic here. Most people don't really give a crap about others. They generally just pretend to be listening to what you say. That's how you figure out if a friendship is worth it or not. If they seem like they are all "yea, uh huh" then you can probably just move on to the next person.

I used to be like you, really shy and had troubles talking to new people. In high school, I got really lonely, and really desperately needed to find someone new to talk to, because everyone I already knew wouldn't understand me. So then I forced myself bit by bit to get used to talking to random people, although in the back of my mind, I'd always be self-conscious, wondering what the person thought of me.

What I've noticed is that I think most people generally appreciate you talking to them. I think a lot of them actually do want to talk, but are just shy/insecure or whatever reason to get a conversation started, so they're in the same situation as you are.

Now I've gotten to the point where it's not hard to talk to strangers anymore, although I still get nervous and shy. It's just a matter of realizing that it's not that bad and just be yourself when you talk to them.