How are you even supposed to date nowadays?

Seriously, everyone seems so reserved and segregated in their own little groups with very little interaction outside of them. We are told not to approach women at all so I seriously have no idea what I'm supposed to do and don't say dating apps, been there done that and it's been a soul sucking experience at every turn and has done nothing but make me feel worse about myself. Social media and dating apps have negatively affected my mental health so much I deleted them all. No one seems to want to meet new people unless it's through an app. Everyone out and about has their headphones in or just looking at their phones and can't be bothered. I feel like if I try to strike up a conversation with someone I'm bothering them and they're just look like a deer in the headlights. It's like people have forgotten how to socialize with eachother. I just want to meet and date women the old fashioned way but that seems almost impossible now and there's all this red tape with everyone being so freaked out nowadays. At this point I feel like I'm going to die alone unless I get really really lucky because no one my age really talks to each other anymore or knows how to socialize without a smartphone. It all just feels so isolated and lonely, like I can go to a completely crowded place with new people my age all around me and still feel completely alone, like I am not allowed to interact with any of them without it being weird. How the fuck are people getting in relationships nowadays? Things have gotten too complicated and fucked up like we have really screwed up how dating is supposed to work with all this stupid technology, everyone's socially awkward and afraid of each other. I guess I should just reserve myself to my cave and never talk to anyone because that's how I feel about society nowadays, everyone's just so cold and antisocial. I hate this new generation of dating.