Listen to the following rap-song. Can you see that english natives (mostly americans?) use the expression "It`s like" so often?

The dude, he said that, like when we were making
The first Linkin Park record, he was like
"Yeah, you know, I don't know about the rapping like
I don't know if it's, like maybe you should just be a rock band"
<...>
To just play keyboard or whatever, he didn't want me to rap
He was like maybe Joe Hahn should, um, wear a lab coat
And a cowboy hat on st, like when we play
I swear to God he's crazy, it was crazy, cowboy hat, yeah


That happens when you are trying to figure out what to say next.
"It`s like" not necessarily refers to comparing.

Russian is full of trash-words with no meaning as well.

Это самое... дайте подумать (You know... let me think) - no sence in "Это самое"

but

Это самое лучшее лето в моей жизни (This is the best summer in my life)

or

В этом вся суть (that`s what I`m talking about)

etc etc

Read more. Remember. Compare.