Everyone says “just network”… but what does that even mean?

Hi all! So I keep hearing the same advice- networking. People say applying to jobs every day is a waste of time, doing side gigs is a waste of time - you just need to NETWORK.

But what does that actually mean in practice?? I messaged a couple of project managers I know and then kind of got stuck. What am I supposed to do next? Does it mean going to events and trying to talk to people? Or just messaging random people on LinkedIn? Because honestly that almost feels like the real waste of time to me… but maybe I’m wrong. I'd appreciate any advice!