“They’re the modern-day gay bar”: Exploring the uses and gratifications of social networks for men who have sex with men
Introduction
In today’s highly digital, immediacy-driven culture, the very idea of dating without technological aid is becoming an increasingly archaic notion. While not all individuals are looking for mates online, many are using new technology to find and maintain romantic or sexual relationships. At the very least, most daters are texting or iMessaging with new suitors, and many others are exchanging photos, having webcam chats, and swapping social media profile information with potential partners. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, the Internet might be even more important, as there are unique barriers to meeting partners in a non-virtual context (e.g. physical safety or determining others’ sexual orientation) that LGBTQ people encounter, but heterosexuals do not as often face.
Because of how technology helps to facilitate the initiation of interaction with other LGBTQ individuals, a multitude of queer-based social networking websites have spawned since the Internet’s invention. In the last few years, mobile-based applications have begun to dominate, and many queer web-based social networks (e.g. Adam4Adam) have even developed on-the-go apps to keep up with the pace of today’s dating and sex-seeking age. While scholars have increasing begun to explore social networks for men who have sex with men (MSM), focus is often on the sexual health aspects of meeting others online, or on the more negative interpersonal issues that may arise, such as racism or anti-femininity values. It is uncommon for research to examine the particular reasons behind MSM-specific social network use, and the actual gratifications queer men receive from engaging with others on these digital networks. The current study employs a uses and gratifications theory framework to exploring the motivations behind men’s utilization of MSM-based social networking platforms.
Section snippets
Uses and gratifications
An audience-centered approach to media research, uses and gratifications posits that people have inherent needs that the media can satisfy (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1974). Needs are satisfied for an individual when they are fulfilled by specific types of media that meet their expectations (Katz et al., 1974), and focus is on the individual differences of active audience members and their preexistent needs (Haridakis, 2002). According to Palmgreen, Wenner, and Rosengren (1985), the basic
Method procedure
Data for this study were collected in fall 2013 as part of a larger survey. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling method; but efforts were also undertaken to achieve a random sample of men by recruiting in Facebook groups, on Twitter, in an online queer forum, and in e-mails sent to LGBTQ community members involved in queer organizations. For the purposes of this study, men were asked to answer a number of demographic questions, as well as closed-ended questions about their
Results
Through qualitative thematic analysis of the open-ended data, seven sought gratifications were identified: safety, control, easiness, accessibility, mobility, connectivity, and versatility. It must be noted that these categories are not always mutually exclusive. For example, the accessibility of MSM online is colored by the ease of using social networking, and this accessibility increases safety for some MSM. Nonetheless, while there may be some overlap between the categories, they are each
Discussion and conclusions
The increasing popularity of online queer spaces, and of MSM-specific social networking more specifically, can be seen as nothing short of revolutionary for the LGBTQ community. The entire notion of gaydar becomes obsolete in these contexts, and these networks open up a space for all sorts of men to explore their sexual identity, as well as new sexual practices. Furthermore, these social networks allow men to interact with others and connect in a variety of ways, promoting a sense of an
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