MODERN DAY ROMANTICS – an exploration of hook-up culture and the modern dating scene.
With online dating being at the forefront of the modern dating scene, this print-based research project investigates hook-up culture and the impact that the cyber realm has placed on the romantic act of dating, posing the question of whether dating apps have helped ease the challenges of dating in the fast-paced twenty-first century. Through the combination of photographic screen printing and digital collage, I draw upon my own experiences within the online dating scene.
Hook-up culture can be viewed as a cultural revolution. It is a culture that encourages and promotes casual sex, and one-night stands. This cultural revolution has created a space of freedom where one can explore themselves sexually, without the fear of judgment or rejection. Traditional notions of dating that encompassed commitment and the heteronormative acts of marriage and monogamy have been eroded, for better or worse. With our familiarity with swiping left or right, where does it leave those who are still seeking a traditional relationship that exceeds past the point of casual sex and late-night messages on a social media platform? Is love truly dead or is this the new modern-day romantics?
