London Met Repository

Use of ‘gay dating apps’ and its relationship with individual well-being and sense of community in men who have sex with men

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Zervoulis, Karyofyllis, Smith, David S., Reed, Rhiannon and Dinos, Sokratis (2020) Use of ‘gay dating apps’ and its relationship with individual well-being and sense of community in men who have sex with men. Psychology and sexuality, 11 (1-2). pp. 88-102. ISSN 1941-9899

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Abstract

There is growing literature and empirical work that is investigating if and how mobile phone and tablet dating apps are influencing the lives of their users. An online questionnaire-based study was developed to investigate how men who have sex with men (MSM) use ‘gay dating apps’ (GDAs), and how such use may relate to different aspects of their lives on an individual and on a collective level. The study included data from 191 MSM living in the UK with varying levels of GDAs use and reasons for using them. Beyond some descriptive information on use of GDAs, the findings showed that, overall, high users of GDAs report a lower sense of community, higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of satisfaction with life. Still, there is some evidence that those MSM who use GDAs mainly for sexual encounters report higher levels of self-esteem and of satisfaction with life compared to those who use GDAs mainly for other reasons. These results suggest that knowing the limits of some of the most popular existing GDAs in what they can offer to MSM and their communities may be important for these men’s well-being. It appears that such GDAs cater effectively for those looking for sexual partners, but may have negative implications for those who look for other types of relationships and interactions.

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