The Anatomy of the Digital Hookup: How Undergraduate Women are Navigating Digital Hookup Culture

• In Event: 2351 - Section on the Sociology of Sex and Gender Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 8. Hookup Culture and Other Forms of Sexual Intimacy

Abstract

This article investigates the experiences of undergraduate women using dating apps at a mid-sized university in Ontario, Canada. I focus on how undergraduate women interpret sexual expectations, intentions, and potential risks throughout the process of navigating the spaces of digital hookup culture. I first outline the descriptive statistics from an online survey data taken by undergraduate women (N=196) to form an overview of their use of technology to meet sexual and romantic partners. I then use data from in-depth focus groups with undergraduate women (N=21) at the same university to identify the step-by-step process of how undergraduate women are navigating these digital spaces. In analyze how gender beliefs structure their experiences and I discuss the risks to women’s safety as they meet partners online.

Author

• Nicole Andrejek, McMaster University