The Current Collegiate Hookup Culture

Book excerpt: The Current Collegiate Hookup Culture provides a holistic picture of the current hookup culture in American college campuses. Based on the findings from a nationally representative survey, Aditi Paul demonstrates that hookups initiated through dating apps are fundamentally different from hookups that ensue from conventional meeting contexts. By comparing the socio-demographic and psychological profiles of students who report meeting their hookup partners through dating apps compared to other venues, she examines if and how hookup scripts and the physical and emotional outcomes of hookups differ across meeting contexts. Furthermore, she explores the potential effect of sexually permissive practices and impresses the importance of including international students into the larger conversation surrounding hookup culture. The Current Collegiate Hookup Culture calls into question long-held gender-specific beliefs about the collegiate hookup culture and advocates moving past dated assumptions for an understanding that more accurately represents the current hookup culture in American college campuses.