Hookup culture is about more than casual sex. Hookup culture is part of today’s sexual landscape and affects all of us, whether or not we are in a relationship or single.

Hookups are casual sexual encounters that are presumed to be one time deals, without emotional attachment or the intention of an ongoing relationship. Hooking up happens in the dorms and frat houses of college campuses, but also in adult bedrooms. Recently, the rise of apps like Tindr make finding hookups easier than ever for adults of all ages. A few clicks and swipes and you can find willing sex partners ready to hook up, no strings attached.

Humans have been having casual sex for all of history - but it has never been as permissible, accessible or desirable as it is today. What are the benefits and costs of a culture that promotes hookups? How do our college institutions and youth culture privilege hookups over relationships, and how does this culture impact different social groups - men and women, white people and people of color, heterosexual and queer, able bodied and disabled? These are important questions to ask as we observe the rise of hookup culture with a critical eye.