Desire and Estranged Intimacy «Grindr» and the performance of sexuality

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Published: Sep 24, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/automaton.35472
Keywords:
Grindr digital contacts digital dystopia sexuality and communication queer desire
Stavros Stavrou Karayanni
School of Humanities, European University of Cyprus
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4306-5907
Abstract

The article attempts a theoretical approach to the «Grindr» dating application, integrating the author’s personal experience within the argument. The purpose of the article is neither to criticize and reject the app, nor to endorse and praise it. What is attempted is a reflection on the implications of the application’s enormous impact and an assessment of its cultural and political significance. The research in this article is conducted within a framework that takes into account a historical context of struggles of the LGBTQI community, and a cultural context where digital communication is taken for granted. Precisely because digital communication is a given and unavoidable, as is the urgency brought about by erotic desire for many individuals, the article proposes a review of the questions raised regarding «Grindr». The political issues brought about by digital communication in matters of identity and relationships, as well as the search for erotic partners, need attention and alertness. The application offers possibilities but also involves serious limitations linked to systemic frameworks such as patriarchy. Therefore, it is necessary to critically evaluate the «Grindr» app as a digital medium but also as an important
development in the sexual history of our time.


 

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