Even though Valentine’s Day has passed, it will take a few weeks for the corny “Will you be my Tar Heel” T-shirts to be removed from Student Stores and for the various events involving love to be painted over on cubes in the Pit.
As relieved as I will be to see the departure of these lovey-dovey remnants, Valentine’s Day provides an opportunity for us to think about the state of college dating — or lack thereof.
From talking with my parents and grandparents, I know times have changed since the days when they were in the dating game.
Traditional dating — going out to eat, etc. — once provided an opportunity for men and women to get to know each other before deciding to commit.
Today, traditional dating has largely been abandoned, and the dating process has sped up — and I’m not just talking about speed dating. For instance, the first date has often been replaced by the first hook-up. How many couples do you know who had a traditional first date? Many relationships, whether couples want to admit it, get started in the context of a hookup.
This should not be surprising, considering the commonality of hookups on college campuses. A 2000 study found that approximately 87 percent of college students reported hooking up at some point in their lives. Another study in 2010 found that college students had almost double the number of hookups than first dates.
So why are people choosing to hook up instead of spending time dating?
One reason is that dating requires just that — spending time. Our busy schedules leave us little time to spend going on dates and hooking up saves time. It offers immediate gratification with minimal effort, and it can remove the expectation of making an extended effort.
Another reason is that courtship — or the idea of meeting someone face-to-face and having a relationship progress through more face-to-face interaction — is often replaced by Facebook messages and texting.
