96. Should You Swipe Left on Gay Dating Apps?

A Jaded Gay

From early chatrooms of the 90s to geolocation apps in the 2010s, gay men have been considered to be early adopters of online dating. While today's gay dating apps offer unprecedented convenience for gay men to connect within their community, their widespread use has brought about some negative impacts, including issues related to sexual racism, body image, and the changing dynamics of social spaces for gay men.
In this episode, we’re exploring the historical trajectory from gay dating sites to the emergence of today's gay dating apps, the potentially harmful effects they can have on mental health, and how we can adopt healthier habits to navigate gay dating in the digital age.
Related Episodes:

• Listen to Episode 24. Gay Villages: Won't You Be My Gaybor?
• Listen to Episode 53. Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Gays
• Listen to Bonus 07. Ranking Gay Dating Apps

Additional Resources:

• Online Dating in the U.S.
• The History of Online Dating
• The History of Online Dating: A Timeline From Paper Ads to Websites
• Gay History Month: The Evolution of LGBTQ+ Online Dating
• What is Gaydar?
• How Grindr Took Over the Gay Scene and Changed Dating for Everyone
• Grindr - Statistics & Facts
• The Founders of This Gay Dating App Won't Stop You Searching by Race
• What is Jack’d?
• What is Hornet?
• GROWLr Sold for $11.8 Million to Straight Social App Company
• Why Dating Apps Are Racist AF — With or Without Ethnicity Filters
• The Influence of Grindr: An Exploratory Study
• Orthorexia Nervosa in Gay Men
• Grindr Was the First Big Dating App for Gay Men. Now It’s Falling Out of Favor.
• Grindr Security Flaw Exposes Users' Location Data

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1. Snarky Opener (00:00:00)

2. Episode Introduction (00:00:26)

3. Happy Two Years and 100 Episodes! (00:01:00)

4. Enter A Jaded Gay Giveaway (00:01:43)

5. Gay Dating Apps (00:03:49)

6. Tarot (00:04:05)

7. The History of Online Dating (00:05:57)

8. The History of Online Gay Dating (00:08:18)

9. The History of Grindr (00:10:21)

10. Most Popular Gay Dating Apps of 2023 (00:12:59)

11. Scruff (00:13:22)

12. Jack’d (00:13:54)

13. Growlr (00:14:07)

14. BiggerCity (00:14:29)

15. Hornet (00:14:47)

16. Online Sexual Racism (00:15:11)

17. Body Image Issues (00:16:19)

18. Safety Issues (00:16:51)

19. Grindr’s Data & Security Concerns (00:17:08)

20. Dating Apps’ Potential Impact on Gay Bars (00:18:05)

21. Dating Apps’ Mental Health Effects on Gay Men (00:20:12)

22. “A Vicious Cycle” (00:22:39)

23. Variable Ratio Reinforcement (00:23:31)

24. A Distraction from Bad Emotions (00:24:55)

25. Roadblocks to Finding Love (00:25:30)

26. Personal Opinion (00:26:04)

27. Episode Closing (00:28:01)

28. Connect with A Jaded Gay (00:31:13)

29. Outtake (00:33:18)