What Hookup Culture Means for the Future of Millennial Love

Another aspect that is very interesting in the social/communicative category is discussing STDs before you are about to hook up. I feel like this is a very necessary part before you have sex with someone. The first time I had sex I did not even ask my boyfriend of his sexual history. He said he was clean but STD testing was not a thing for people in his life. That made me so nervous and made me realize how much sex education needs to be taught better, especially in small towns. Personally, with me and my friends we talk about STDs very comfortably and all my friends that participate in hookup culture regularly get tested.

Exploring the Impact of Casual Sex on Individuals and Society

In Wade’s American Hookup, she goes through “steps” and her process of how to “hook up,” I guess (2017). I don’t really think there’s a certain way to go about hooking up or getting someone to hook up with you. I think you can have a little game plan in your head but I don’t know anyone that has thought “Oh I have to do this and say this before I can do this next part” I just don’t think that’s how it works. As a girl, I obviously don’t know how guys think about this and how they go about finding someone to hook up with, but I would assume they have their “strategy” maybe a little pick up line to get a conversation going or whatever. Wade also stresses the importance of having to be intoxicated to have meaningless sex. You don’t have to be drunk to hook up with someone and have it not mean anything.

Sexual script theory

This article resonated with me, because before reading it I had no idea events like this occurred. Oftentimes events similar to this get forgotten about until someone decides to shine light on it. As https://wannahookup.net/ applies to “hookup” culture minorities and other under-represented groups aren’t portrayed as much in movies or television shows. While we might not be able to pinpoint what hooking up means, we can agree that its ambiguity is a direct correlation between the two people involved. While a clear definition of a hook up might not exist, it’s safe to say that it entails sexual activity between two people who are not in a committed relationship. Other guys, along with some women, share feeling discounted and dissatisfied. And, for a very small minority, just 6–8% of men who participate, hookup culture is a cover to assault with impunity. Bogle and Wade also express that alcohol consumption is necessary for “hookups” to occur (2008; 2017). Wade believes that alcohol allows for people to obtain “liquid courage,” which makes them more likely to “hookup” than if they were sober (2017). I agree that intoxication may lead to a greater likelihood of “hooking up,” but I do not think you have to be drunk in order to engage in meaningless sex. As for establishing that the sex was in fact, meaningless, Wade describes that after a “hookup,” a reduction in rankings must occur between the two individuals. For example, if the individuals were friends before the “hookup,” they must be at minimum, acquaintances after. A couple of the texts includes “When u message someone new on a dating app do u just jump right in and ask them something about themselves or do u say “how are you? ” Or something this is so confusing and hilarious lol” and “When you start talking to them do u like have to talk to them every day? Lmao.” I have been single most of my college experience, so dating apps are second nature to me. Though I understood my hook-ups to be temporary, I wouldn’t define all of them as meaningless because I personally find meaning through the intimacy/ overall connection I share with people even if that connection is centered on sex. If anything, I think I learned more about how in the year 2020, dating apps are almost synonymous with hooking-up, and I think we could add on this recognized truth in our definition. It’s clear that pre-hooking up can take place through both real-world social interactions and digital ones, and since we’re in this age of technological advancement, we should acknowledge its ever-expanding influence on how people hook-up. The social and communicative category for the past two weeks has reinforced my knowledge about the contemporary understanding of hookup culture, and I would say that it’s made me reflect on how I’ve navigated the elements in my past hook-up experiences. As we’ve discussed in class, hook-up culture and its practices in the 21-century has constantly evolved and currently holds a normalized position in topics of sex and intimacy. I think technology plays a large role in this as it can provide social networking platforms for people to interact and connect with each other and thus reflects public opinion on topics people actively engage in. Most of rap and pop music talks about brief “hookups.” My personal definition aligns with our class definition. I view the social/communicative aspect of hookup culture one of the most, if not the most important. What people are taught on social media and through their peers is what shapes the culture as a whole. The themes of books, plots of movies and television shows, and lyrics of numerous songs all demonstrate a permissive sexuality among consumers. As an example, the lyrics above, from the chart-topping pop song Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) by singer–songwriter Katy Perry highlight someone’s Friday night partying, presumably including casual sex, alcohol, and a piecemeal memory of the nights events. Research on media portrayals of sexual behavior has documented this pattern as well.