Maybe dating now is different, but when I seeking out dates in my youth, it was straightforward.
There were no catalogs to sift through. Unless you count video dating. That just screamed creepy at the time.
We approached or had intermediaries get attention for us. Then, we talked, awkward as it may be.
I picked up a woman at a Waffle House, once. I was working there, she was a customer. I liked her Ramones shirt. I asked her if she knew who they were, she told me to suck a dick. We kept talking and we decided to go to a concert that night. I picked her up, went to the show, brought her home, screwed like mad, and kept that paterrn for many months.
All from just talking to a stranger.