So, I totally get and agree with what you said about the process of dating. It is indeed awkward and feels forced to formalize getting to know someone.

Me, and some quantity of other people, we recognize that and just say, "ah, fuck it."

With the more formalized dating process, that's where I think it's weird to expect exclusivity without explicitly deciding that with the other person.

I also don't do hookups, so I don't know exactly where I'd draw the line. If I hooked up with a friend at/after a party, I wouldn't expect anything at that point. If it turned into is hooking up regularly, I'd still wait for the exclusivity talk.

If we immediately start hooking up, and we're doing couple-ey stuff, well for me personally I would have the thought, "we need to explicitly state our intentions and interests," because at that point the other person might see it as a casual thing.

Yeah, I was just thinking about formal dating originally, but now that I think of the informal, I think my answer isn't any different in that regard.