Growing up in the commonly known "Hookup Generation" has led me to question... have times truly changed? What would make my generation more focused on a casual hookup opposed to previous generations, could it be in our blood? All signs are pointing to no. Scientists from the University of Portland looked into a study that compared 18-25 year old students during both 1988-1996 and 2004-2012. The study examined the students' sexual behaviors, desires, and actions. After research, studies show that we are not necessarily the hookup generation; students from the 80s to 90s were shown to start sexual activity at a younger age, have sex more often, and encounter more sexual partners than students during 2004 to 2012.
Although many claim hookup culture is on the rise, flooding college campuses, the truth is what we are experiencing is nothing but old news. Maybe it just seems prevailing because it's more accepted and discussed now, or possibly due to social media. When you think about it, we now have apps such as Tinder devoted to finding your next hookup. In fact, in my recent experiences, hookups seem to be encouraged by friends. It's a hot topic that almost everyone seems to want to be a part of, whether or not they condone hookups. Sex has always been, and always will be a part of college campuses. Dating may be dead, but it died a long time ago, maybe even as early as 1980.