Get off the apps. The Internet is full of this kind of social sleight of hand. Leave it alone. Use it for what it's good at, and intimate relationships is not one of those things, beyond meeting someone. And even that's gotten worse.
Learn the dying art of in-person socialization. Memorize interesting things to talk about if needed. Buy a deck of icebreaker cards for inspiration.
Strike up conversations anywhere and everywhere. Learn magic tricks to entertain people with. Film things in your neighborhood and show people clips that you think they'd like.
For the rusty or nerdy (like me), write test cases for your interactions. Figure out what went wrong if someone isn't receptive. Refine your approach until you figure it out.
"Digital everything" has proven to be a dead end. We need to go backwards to go forwards.
Learn the dying art of in-person socialization. Memorize interesting things to talk about if needed. Buy a deck of icebreaker cards for inspiration.
Strike up conversations anywhere and everywhere. Learn magic tricks to entertain people with. Film things in your neighborhood and show people clips that you think they'd like.
For the rusty or nerdy (like me), write test cases for your interactions. Figure out what went wrong if someone isn't receptive. Refine your approach until you figure it out.
"Digital everything" has proven to be a dead end. We need to go backwards to go forwards.