Looking for a quick romantic rendezvous?
Well, there’s an app for that.
“Bang With Friends,” a Facebook application launched last month, assists the hooking up process and extinguishes the sting of rejection.
The company website uses a condom application visual aid to explain how the app works. Users can choose their Facebook friends who use the app who they wish to “bang.” Both parties receive a notification email only if the interest is mutual.
Alan Medrano, a 22-year-old UF musical theatre senior, said he is not surprised the app exists. He said he sees it as a tool people can use.
“I prefer building a relationship and talking, so something like that wouldn’t work for me,” Medrano said. “But there are some people who are looking for a one-time thing. Or maybe they’re shy, and this is the way to get them in the door.”
The app had about 20,000 registered users four days after it launched, according to an article by www.TheDailyBeast.com.
Medrano said he believes men will make up the primary user demographic and women would be much less interested in the app.
UF psychology professor Laurie Mintz said research indicates male pleasure is prioritized in hookups involving sex.
“Research finds that women are less likely to have orgasms and report being satisfied in hookup sex than are men,” Mintz said.
Mintz discussed hookup sex with her human sexuality class and said some student comments pertained to women feeling pressured to engage in hookup sex.
Kristen Croft, an 18-year-old UF industrial and systems engineering freshman, said she does not foresee a lot of women using the app, including herself.
“I honestly think that’s kind of grimy in general,” she said. “I would like to think no one would put themselves out there like that. It’s very controversial.”
Although Croft said social media has aided communication between partners overall, she thinks apps like “Bang With Friends” discourage flirting and reduce the conversation between men and women simply to, “Hey, let’s get it on.”
Medrano agrees. He said the app takes away from the excitement of personal interaction.
“I’d say communication has changed compared to how previous generations expect communication to be,” he said. “A couple years ago, I would have been surprised to hear about the app, but with all the different social networking sites and ways to meet people, it just seems like the next step.”
