We need to talk about how Grdr is affectg gay men’s mental health - Vox

Contents:

• LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL ONLE DATERS REPORT POSIVE EXPERIENC – BUT ALSO HARASSMENT
• ARE GAY DATG APPS INPATIBLE WH FDG LOVE?
• ARE DATG APPS MAKG GAY MEN MISERABLE?
• UNSEEN, PART 3: POPULAR GAY DATG APP GRDR POS EXPLOATN RISK TO MORS
• WHY IS GAY DATG SO DIFFICULT? 6 REASONS FROM AN EXPERT
• BT GAY DATG APPS FOR HOOKUPS, RELATNSHIPS, AND EVERYTHG BETWEEN
• THE TOP LGBTQ+ DATG S AND APPS: 14 BT GAY DATG S
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW GRDR IS AFFECTG GAY MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH

LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL ONLE DATERS REPORT POSIVE EXPERIENC – BUT ALSO HARASSMENT

Lbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults the Uned Stat are avid ers of onle datg s and apps, acrdg to a recent Pew Rearch Center survey.

ARE GAY DATG APPS INPATIBLE WH FDG LOVE?

The analysis also ed an oversample of rponnts who dited that they intify as lbian, gay or bisexual om Ipsos’s KnowledgePanel, an onle survey panel that is reced through natnal, random samplg. Due to small sample siz, we were not able to analyze lbians, gay men or bisexual adults as separate groups or analyze other mographic subgroups among those who are LGB. Relatively large shar of lbian, gay or bisexual onle daters – that is, those who have ever ed an onle datg se or app – report that they have experienced at least one of the forms of harassment measured this survey on those s and apps (69%, pared wh 52% of their straight unterparts):.

About two-thirds (65%) of people who intify as lbian, gay or bisexual and have ed onle datg s or apps say their experience was very or somewhat posive.

Recent years have seen a proliferatn of webs and smartphone apps signed to help gay men pursue their sexual liberatn a digal age.

ARE DATG APPS MAKG GAY MEN MISERABLE?

But when apps are signed to provi immediate sexual gratifitn, are they pable of servg the needs of gay men seekg love and long-term relatnships? A recent study out of France by Christian Lippe explored the nversatnal differenc between ers of Grdr and Tr (wh the former terg to gay men, while the latter is a datg applitn ed by LGBTQ+ and heterosexual dividuals). By examg the nversatnal texts of participants who agreed to share their app chat history as well as through -person terviews, Lippe noted that gay men tend to scribe a sense of “llective prsure” to nform to the subculture’s foc on hookg up through apps like Grdr.

Cumulatively, Lippe’s rearch illtrat that gay men who e apps might strategilly lim the amount of romantic nnotatn nversatns onle to ensure that the arranged meet-up remas strictly sexual nature. If gay men th perceive the social norm on datg apps to be towards sual enunters, what is this likely to nvey to men searchg for love? A recent study out of the Universy of Toronto terviewed 41 men livg downtown Toronto to learn more about how gay men unrstood the ncept of nnectn wh the ntext of gay datg apps.

UNSEEN, PART 3: POPULAR GAY DATG APP GRDR POS EXPLOATN RISK TO MORS

More specifilly, the study was terted how participants' seekg short or long-term nnectns wh others was associated wh their sense of cln wh gay datg apps’ onle muni. The rearch nclud that gay men felt they were expected to prent themselv on datg apps as nfint, self-assured, and whout any securi.

WHY IS GAY DATG SO DIFFICULT? 6 REASONS FROM AN EXPERT

Prev rearch has shown that many gay men wh apps prefer to prent themselv a masculized fashn by prentg their bodi as f and -shape and g short phras whout any sentimental or romantic nnotatns. Ined, femmephobia, or the soc-cultural valuatn and subordatn of femy, is mon wh ntemporary gay men’s spac and has been associated wh how men prent themselv onle.

BT GAY DATG APPS FOR HOOKUPS, RELATNSHIPS, AND EVERYTHG BETWEEN

The Universy of Toronto study nnected femmephobia to the experience of gay men on datg apps to explore how might shape the way men feel they should teract wh other gay men onle environments.

In other words, might femmephobia be a ntributg factor to the social norms of onle datg for gay men that support short-term hookups and disurage the openly stated sire for a romantic relatnship? The study suggted that femmephobia and the femizatn of beg vulnerable, timate, emotnally pennt, and/or romantic functn together to disurage gay men om beg timate wh each other about their feelgs.

THE TOP LGBTQ+ DATG S AND APPS: 14 BT GAY DATG S

This, turn, prents challeng for velopg a sense of nnectn wh the gay muny for men who do value the velopment of romantic nnectns.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW GRDR IS AFFECTG GAY MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH

Ultimately, the participants not only discsed g to nform behavurally to the app’s unwrten l but a procs of actually ternalizg certa "tths" about the gay male muny, cludg that gay men, do not "date" and that hookg up is the normative expectatn wh gay men’s sexual cultur and muni. Of urse, the gay muny fought long and hard for their sexual liberatn and at every stage have been wary of those who would attempt to lim their sexual exprsn.

At the same time, however, seems that jt as there are many gay men who seek a sexually liberated life, there are many others who seek the liberatn to love, to love eply, and to form lastg emotnal bonds that unrsre long-term romantic relatnships. Th, don’t seem that the sir are what is missg, but rather, the platforms through which to seek and fulfill the sir while not losg a sense of nnectn and belongg to the gay muny self.

A new study of gay men’s e of datg apps rais qutns about whether the technology tend to make our (love) liv easier may be gettg the way of happs.