Now, as a senior, I am confident in saying that hookup culture is on the rise here on campus — and it’s not just a freshman thing. Across all years, it’s become “easier” for students to have situationships than to practice essential relationship skills like safety, open communication and self-love.
National surveys even back this up — a 2023 American College Health Association study reported by senior year 72% of college students report at least one casual hookup in the past year. Still, nearly half said they actually wished they’d built a real emotional connection instead. We often act as if having control over a situation is empowering, but how much control do we actually have if we aren’t even honest with ourselves about what we truly want?
I see it in my peers all the time. Hookup culture can mask the feeling of freedom. No consequences and no strings attached. But is that really true? The truth is, most of us end up craving more. That’s why so many people pretend not to care — it’s way easier to act like something means nothing than to admit you’re actually hurting.
Somewhere along the way, our vulnerability started to feel embarrassing to us. We joke about how “catching feelings” is like a disease, but really, it’s the most human thing we can do. There is only so much we can push back our emotions before emptiness creeps in and the quiet, lingering feeling of deserving something more.
Social media makes it easy to be detached, parties encourage it and your peers pretend that they don’t care when they don’t get a text back. Apps like Tinder and Snapchat have normalized temporary, low-effort connections. Pew Research found that almost half of people under 30 use dating apps, but more than half of them say the experience leaves them feeling “disposable” or “burned out.” Behind the chill attitude, many students feel lost, confused and lonely. The normalization of not having genuine feelings has stripped away the confidence on our campus.
Not only is it eroding our confidence on campus, but it’s also making real connections feel rare. There’s a difference between attention and affection, and many students have started to confuse the two. I’m not saying everyone needs to be in a relationship — college is definitely the time to grow, experiment, and figure yourself out. But there’s a big difference between being independent and being numb. Real connection — whether it’s romantic or platonic — should make you feel grounded, not disposable.
But how do we actively change this? The truth is, there’s no easy fix. Hookup culture isn’t just in college, but it’s tied to everyone in our generation. We grew up online, went through a pandemic and are used to everything fast and filtered. We need to realize that with our generation of technology and easy access to anyone in the world will never disappear. That may be why real connections feel so intimidating.
We can, however, be more honest with ourselves and each other. Even UT’s Student Counseling Center has seen more students coming in just wanting to talk about loneliness and how to communicate better in relationships. That alone shows that people want real connection — we need to start admitting it. There isn’t a simple fix. Hookup culture isn’t just college life, but it’s how our generation connects now. So slow down and get to know people. Change won’t come from avoiding hookup culture altogether but from being intentional. Avoiding authentic connections might seem like the safer route, but if we’re honest, it’s keeping us from the relationships we actually deserve.
Ella Knapp is a senior at UT this year studying journalism. She can be reached at [email protected].
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
