Inside Maryland's Hookup Culture
The hookup culture is not just a societal norm that exists on college campuses across the country, it’s also a norm that has plagued the outside world as well. Our generation has thrived on this idea that traditional dating and monogamy is no longer the norm, and the dating scene has turned into the land of “Netflix and Chill,” non-dates, casual hangouts, and zero commitment.
“We’re all busy with school and with the way our generation loves instant gratification, it’s no surprise that we take that idea and apply it to other aspects of our lives.” Albert Lyou, a senior mechanical engineering major at the University of Maryland says.
The countless dating apps available have fueled the hookup culture and caused people to believe that committing to one person means “missing out” on having fun with the new and constantly improving apps.
“With dating apps you can go through a ton of people in a short amount of time. It's changed the way we look at dating and hookups by giving it to us impersonally and instantly.” Albert says.
This isn’t to say that there’s no one out there that partakes in planning cute dates and looking for a monogamous relationship, nor does it mean that people on dating apps aren’t looking for something serious, however, there are far less people doing it than in the past. The hookup culture is low risk, people can fulfill their physical needs, whatever they may be, without worrying about cultivating a meaningful relationship. There’s little effort, it boosts one’s ego and ideally, emotions wouldn’t get in the way, which not only makes it easier on the heart, but also on the mind.
However, the key word is ideally. We all hear stories through rumors, from our friends and from the internet of hookups gone wrong, whether it’s because one person started to want something more or there was some sort of disagreement, not all hookup relationships end well. “I think it’s okay for people to dip their feet into the dating scene by using apps and participating in casual dating, but it becomes another issue when emotions get involved.” Colleen Snitzer, a senior psychology major at the University of Maryland says.
The idea of a hookup relationship seems to be ideal for those who aren’t ready for emotional attachments, and are low risk in theory, however, the risks of things going wrong seem to be higher than expected. “It can be misinterpreted on both ends and it can end badly, so there should probably be some conversation of what’s going on before someone gets hurt,” Colleen adds. “If one person is looking for something more serious and the other person doesn’t call back, then that sucks.”
It’s no question that the hookup culture at many college campuses is big, and students can agree that the hookup culture at the University of Maryland is no different. “The hookup culture here is definitely way bigger than the traditional dating scene, and I think it’s safe to say it’s probably the same for most college campuses.” Colleen says.
With the increasingly popular dating apps, combined with this generation’s less taboo view of casual dating, the hookup scene clearly isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. However, if a hookup relationship isn’t your thing, it’s safe to say that there are still people out there that are looking for monogamy, they’re just becoming one of those rare breeds.
