I've tried looking for a friends and dates but no one is never hitting me up or is interested in me, so why not give up and just look for an intimate encounter

Why, do you think the odds will improve?

I remember the good ol days when it was common to have a conversation first

Yea, this sure is a lot tougher than I ever imagined, but I'm not giving up just yet. I've tried just about everything too. I know that posting a photo of myself would help, but every time that I did, the site would take it down saying that it wasn't "clear" enough. I don't have a smart phone either, so I just gotta wait to borrow my brother's phone for the photo - lol. Yea, I've tried "reaching out" to other locals via messaging, but most of the gals (in my area) could simply care less - lol. Hey, the way that I see it... if they don't even want to attempt to make contact with me... then it truly is their own loss 'cause I'm a really great guy (I'm modest too - lol).

Plenty for sale

Topic summary:

FunkyTy, darlin', you are only 20 and already weary of the chase?
You are merely 2 divorces behind your contemporaries.
We can help you catch up ;-)

Are you crying? ️

I don't know.
There doesn't seem to be any reason not to.
I mean it's not like it's some sort of commitment where you find someone to have an intimate encounter with and then you/they are all "doh! I clicked the intimate encounter tab! Now I can never ever ever ever have any other type of relationship with anyone ever!"
And you can't seriously say "sorry, I'd really like to have more than an intimate encounter with you, but, you see, when I chose to look for intimate encounter the mechanic tied my friends and relationships tubes so now it's impossible."

Other than that, it doesn't matter what relationship label you want to use. Romantic, serious, FWB, intimate encounter, marriage, friends, hanging out, there's no guarantee any relationship is easier than the next to find, grow, or maintain, nor that any one or the other or multiples are guaranteed to lead to any mental, emotional, or physical fulfillment.

It's all in your head. The only things that ever really change are your standards and rationalizations about what you think you are "getting."
You should be warned, though, that whatever you focus the most on? You are putting yourself in a niche and growing only your ability to communicate in that milieu.

You may decide to go the hit it 'n' quit it route.
But you may find that just nailing desperate blondes off the internet that don't care about you in any way, or that you have to be something/someone you aren't, is just not all that gratifying or fulfilling. Just depends on how much you can rationalize and justify your actions and bury your real feelings.
Just as you can find being in a long term romantic relationship gets stale and boring, and start sublimating your resentment with food while telling all your friends how much you've learned to appreciate what you have and your spouse is your soul mate.

I can guarantee that if you look at the destination ("I want a girlfriend, dates, relationship, spouse!") and are nothing but frustrated by the journey, you are ultimately going to be frustrated with any destination you may find yourself (IOW look for people, not relationship labels you've loaded up with your own relationship expectations like how you should feel or would feel). Unless your powers of self delusion are monumental.

If you actually want to find people? Go to where the people are, do what the people are doing, and talk directly to those about what you're both doing.
And if you find yourself saying "meh, I don't like doing this, that, or the other," (e.g. "I don't like bars! I don't like dancing! I'mma too scared to talk to strangers in public!) and all your hobbies are just you doing whatever you like to do by yourself keeping to yourself?
Then that's what you're looking for. At best you're looking for an objectified relationship where you want to keep them on a shelf and just take them down when you want them to gratify you in some way, then say "okay, I don't feel lonely anymore," and put them back on the shelf.
Other people tend to avoid being treated that way.

Good luck!

wow! you certainly have a lot to say.

OT: sorry but you're doomed any which way you go.

ciretom, you've given the OP a lot of your advanced wisdom, but I fear it's just going over the head of a 20-year-old.

Ted Bundy always claimed to be a "nice guy".

We all know how that worked out for him,
and the string of corpses he left behind.

its the nice guys you have to watch out for their all serial killers

all of them?

only the quiet perfect neighbor ones

Not to be confused with "cereal killers"--those that can consume an entire box at one time as a snack.

I’ve been known to knock off a few boxes in no time at all myself!

then you are a "cereal eater" Dee, definitely not a killer

You are right, Rosie!

I’m definitely more than

me too, Dee, me too .. some people might disagree but don't listen to them