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Why Talk When You Can Swipe: A Qualitative Investigation of College Heterosexuals Using Smartphones to Hookup and Date

Hanson, Kenneth R
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1491689869560945

Abstract Details

2017, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology.
The emergence of Tinder and other dating apps has sparked scholarly interest in the ways sexuality and technologies intersect in contemporary society, but little sociological attention has been paid to this phenomenon. This qualitative study examines college students who use dating apps to engage with hookup culture. Analysis of 28 intensive interviews with current heterosexual college students (18 female and 9 male) provides an understanding of how and why heterosexuals use their smartphones to find hookup partners. Building on the extensive scholarship on hookup culture, online dating, and media studies, this study combines Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the habitus with Stefanie Duguay’s usage of the techno-cultural society to argue that college students embody a “techno-cultural habitus.” Their techno-cultural habitus, shaped by constant smartphone usage and collective interactions with peers, frames how students understand their dating app use on a college campus steeped in hookup culture. By relying on shared sets of `sayings and doings’ students are able to rely on their peers and the app interfaces to navigate issues that arise when hooking up via dating apps. Specifically, college students wrestle with issues such as the privileging of uncommitted sex, rude or untoward behavior from matches, fears of altered profiles, and a need for independent identify verification.
Clare Stacey, PhD (Advisor)
Kristen Marcussen, PhD (Committee Member)
Susan Fisk, PhD (Committee Member)
Sociology
online dating; smartphones; dating; college students; habitus; technology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hanson, K. R. (2017). Why Talk When You Can Swipe: A Qualitative Investigation of College Heterosexuals Using Smartphones to Hookup and Date [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1491689869560945

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hanson, Kenneth. Why Talk When You Can Swipe: A Qualitative Investigation of College Heterosexuals Using Smartphones to Hookup and Date. 2017. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1491689869560945.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hanson, Kenneth. "Why Talk When You Can Swipe: A Qualitative Investigation of College Heterosexuals Using Smartphones to Hookup and Date." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1491689869560945

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.