I’m sure most people in this day in age are aware of the popularity and normalization around hook up culture. However, hook up culture has not always been this prevalent. When I think about the dating culture when my parents grew up, I have a very different idea of how the culture was back then, then it is now. This makes me wonder what aspects play into this normalization. How did hookup culture start?
When thinking about this question it makes me realize the connection between the rise of hookup culture and the rise of media. Social media allows individuals to connect with each other within seconds. There are people who seek out others just because they think they are attractive. This gives social media the power to allow individuals to connect and interact with people that they may not even know.
Men and women can text each other whenever they want to hang out with a single, “you up?”, “wyd”, “want to come over”, text. Because of the constant access social media gives us, our generation is missing out on the in-person connection that is developed. Individuals don’t feel the need to go on a first date to get to know one another anymore because they are given the ability to do this over text or various social media apps. It is now looked at as uncommon to go on a date before you hang out with someone. Hookup culture can be looked at as a fun experience that individuals can partake in, which is totally normal, and everyone should be able to have the ability to experience it. However, it’s the individuals who feel pressed by the normalization of hookup culture that is a problem. Many young men and women want to go on a date to get to know the person before you hookup, but this culture makes it that much harder for these expectations.
The media’s ability to only show the fun and positive relations within hookup culture can also be dangerous because of the lack of images and posts about the negative consequences. Hookups can be emotionally damaging, frustrating, or even dangerous, but media has the power to glamorize it. This can be emotionally damaging for young men and women and can have them feel peer pressure from the society.
Both men and women can take advantage of the vulnerability virtual dating puts individuals in. Over the phone, a person could seem sweet and genuine, but then after you hang out with them once they are no longer interested. This can cause individuals to feel self-conscious, unwanted, or emotionally unavailable. Hookup culture is not for everybody, but the way social media glamorizes it influences people to think it is.
Although, there are some negative things that may come with social medias influence with hookup culture, it also can help people to explore their sexuality. Social media allows you to connect with individuals you might not have connected with if it were an in-person interaction, whether that be nerves or social anxiety. It sheds light that you are allowed to talk to whoever you please, without any judgments from outside points of view. In addition, it also helps the barrier between men and women and whom and how many people they are allowed to talk to or hookup with. I have definitely noticed that it is becoming more acceptable and normalized for women to equally participate in hookup culture as men. This is important to recognize because it shouldn’t matter whether you are a man or woman both should be equally allowed to experience and experiment however they want.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
It is intriguing to analyze how hookup culture has become so prevalent today compared to dating norms in the past. However, it’s concerning that the glamorization of hookup culture in the media often overlooks the potential emotional and physical consequences, placing pressure on individuals who desire more meaningful interactions before engaging intimately. Despite these drawbacks, it is fascinating to draw attention to how social media provides a platform for self-expression and exploration of one’s sexuality, breaking down barriers and enabling connections that might otherwise be challenging in face-to-face encounters.
LikeLike
Hookup culture has undoubtedly had reverberating effects and repercussions in terms of interpersonal relationships. I’d also like to expound upon this perspective and talk about how hookup culture has further perpetuated falsehoods about the idea of consent. Because of dating and hookup apps such as tinder, oftentimes people make assumptions about the person they’re meeting up with. Many people operate under this shared assumption that someone on tinder only wants to hook up, so they feel emboldened and often entitled to sex or sexual activity overall. I do believe that there is no shame in someone just wanting to hook up, but I think the key to that is clear communication with your partner. It’s absolutely possible to have healthy and no commitment sexual encounters, but the culture of hookups reinforce non-communicative ideals that instead can lead to negative experiences and potentially dangerous situations.
LikeLike