The Hookup Culture And How Different Generations Navigate It
What is a hook-up?
Hooking-up is a sexual encounter between two people who are not in a relationship or dating and do not expect anything, no strings of any sort is attached. Most people describe hookups as spontaneous sexual encounters under the influence of alcohol or drugs without communication or protection against STDs. Hookups for college students mostly start at frat parties keeping in mind that both the partners agree on terms such as no commitments, no serious thoughts and no future expectations. Hookups are also very popularized by dating apps like “Tinder, Bumble” and others.
The recent studies show that Millennials are the “hookup” generation because they are just looking for quick relationships and frequent casual sex. For those who don’t know what age bracket do Millennials fall in, it’s people born in the early 1990s. One of the reasons for Millennials to be more promiscuous than Gen Z is that they are in their mid-life crisis stage because half of their age group people are either married or having babies or have been in serious relationships and the other half are still looking for their one or have become cynical and believe in casual sex only. Apps like ‘Tinder’ have been a catalyst in their frequent/casual sexual relationships making them the ‘actual hookup generation.’
So your question now might be that if half the millennials are not looking for casual sex and hook up then how are they actually the hookup generation? Because the Gen Z is out there looking for serious “#relationshipgoals” kind of a relationship, unlike the Millennials. Hard to believe? Well, we will tell you some facts that will make you believe the same.
According to a survey, GenZ is trading casual hookups for commitment culture so that they can post about them on their TikTok. According to these teen TikTokers, content with couples performs better and someone posting about you is an extension of your desirability. The harsh truth is that having a significant other on social media makes them think that they put out a desirable image of themselves, they seek validation from all of this. As much as this sounds problematic and disturbing, it is true. Our Genz is blindly running towards something that isn’t even worth running for.
With new relationship milestones, anniversary blogs, choreographed couple dances, couple Q&As, younger people and dating experts say GenZ is trading hookups for serious relationships- all because it looks better online, helping them to build their own brand by an insane amount of followers. Many of these young people admitted to the fact that they won’t date someone who is not okay with showcasing their personal life online with them because according to them their partner is ashamed to be seen in public with them if they ask for privacy. With So much going on in the world, Gen Z is intoxicated and doesn’t know the adverse effects of not being private about their personal lives. Everyone in this generation wants to get viral and get rich.
The problem here is not these youngsters looking for love but to look for love, you have to have a clear picture of what love really is. They have lost their ability to understand what a relationship actually means because they just see the image of it online. They don’t think they had a good time until other people like it. They are using their outside image to make themselves feel better about the problems they feel within, giving Instagram a lot of power. Dating and relationships necessarily may not be wholesome but they have to be aesthetically pleasing according to them, GenZ views dating through Instagram goggles only.
On the other hand, one good thing about the hookup culture is, that it is helping people to discover their sexuality, hookup culture has made it easier to hook up with people of different genders and sexual fantasies, without a ton of pressure on whether or not the hookup would lead to a relationship. Also, finding people who suit your desire manually can be exhausting but with online dating apps, it is quite easy to find people. Some people also claim to understand themselves, their sexuality and personal desires better because of easy access to hookups.
Whether or not you agree or disagree, you can’t ask someone to downplay their choices and or experience of finding themselves. Hookups are the means of their exploration and so it be. Whether you’re a Millennial or GenZ who is thinking (or not maybe) of hooking up with someone to explore your sexuality or for pure personal pleasure’s sake, always make sure to take consent and practice safe sex. In the end that’s all that really matters, you all have the right to sexual liberation, but be smart about it! Have sex but be safe and if you ever want to have sex for sexual discovery then go for it, you never know what you’re going to find!
