How toxic are non-straight dating platforms? An analysis of masculinity in online dating app Grindr

In contemporary society, people are more likely to meet their significant other online than offline. Therefore, people are prone to turn to online dating applications such as Tinder and Grindr to find the right person to satisfy their potential romantic encounters. Among a broad spectrum of dating apps that are designed for specific communities and sexualities, Tinder and Grindr are two of the most popular mobile dating apps for straight and non-straight communities. This research seeks to observe gender behavior in the context of non-straight dating application Grindr, aiming to answer the research question: How is masculinity displayed on the online dating platform Grindr? As little research has explored this particular phenomenon, this study aimed to explore the concept of masculinity and toxic masculinity on Grindr. By conducting a thematic analysis and comparing the results to earlier work on gender behavior on online dating platforms it aimed to observe nonstraight masculine dating behavior. With a dataset of 200 images derived from Instagram containing Grindr conversations, different themes and patterns were found in non-straight Grindr communication. The findings from the analysis include the use of humor to reject sexual proposals, the use of compliments and emojis to indicate intentions, deceptive self-presentation caused by insecurity, the focus on hookups indicated by sexual language and images. As well as the use of critical tones to promote racism and homophobia, the indication of preferences based on appearance and race, the persuasion of others to engage in sexual behavior by acting dominant and the judgement and rejection of anonymity and effeminacy. After conducting the analysis, it was found that these communicative patterns of masculine and toxic masculine behavior were frequently displayed within Grindr conversations of the non-straight community. Masculine behavior was found in dominant, confident, competitive, and homophobic masculine behavior. Additionally, toxic masculine behavior included sexualizing, racist, objectifying, and aggressive. It can thus be concluded how traditional gender roles are still deeply rooted in straight and non-straight societies and are reinforced by the Grindr platform. Some of the study’s limitations that were found include little diversity relating to language, community, and platform. Therefore, it is suggested that further research includes additional data for other countries, queer communities, dating platforms and conducts quantitative research methods to consider the effect of toxic masculinity on dating behavior, responses, and perceptions.