Una exploración a las motivaciones e interacciones de los usuarios de Grindr en Lima, Perú

Grindr is a dating application that is oriented to non-heterosexual males and that works by geolocation. With a profile, users can interact, search for a partner, meet new people, create contact networks and, above all, arrange casual sexual encounters. The aim of this study was to describe the motivations, gratifications and interactions generated among Grindr users in Lima, Peru. The methodology was mixed: both a questionnaire with 110 participants and 8 in-depth interviews. The results describe negative consequences in the use of this application. These include discrimination and objectification among users, seen in users’ language and self- generated behaviors, as well as stereotypes of toxic masculinity that condemn the feminine and exalt the masculine.Grindr es una aplicación de citas orientada al público no heterosexual masculino que funciona por geolocalización. A través de un perfil, los usuarios pueden interactuar, buscar pareja, conocer gente nueva, crear redes de contacto y, sobre todo, concretar encuentros sexuales casuales. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir las motivaciones, gratificaciones e interacciones que se generan entre los distintos usuarios de Grindr en Lima, Perú. La metodología fue mixta, a partir de la aplicación de un cuestionario a 110 participantes y 8 entrevistas en profundidad. Los resultados describen consecuencias negativas en el uso de esta aplicación, como la discriminación y la cosificación entre los usuarios, el lenguaje propio y las conductas autogeneradas en la aplicación, los estereotipos presentes y tipos de masculinidades tóxicas, las cuales condenan lo femenino y enaltecen lo masculino

Digitally Queer: The use of Video-Mediated Communication within the Gay and Lesbian Community

Computer-mediated communication has expanded the ways in which individuals can seek information and create content. Moreover, it allows for the forming of new connections between individuals that may otherwise be impossible. In the last decade, video-mediated communication has been adopted by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, as well as straight allies to share information and reach out to the wider community, particularly those who have been the victim of bullying. Despite this increase in video-mediated communication, most research in the area of gay men and lesbians has been focused on the construction of online identity and narratives of the coming-out journey. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate how video is utilised to disclose matters pertaining to lived experience to further understand this community, and identify how video could be used to better support this minority group. In the first stage of this research study, a qualitative analysis of online video was carried out to investigate how individuals engage with LGBT bullying content. The findings revealed individuals to openly disclose deeply personal, and identifiable, information to a global audience. Next an empirical study was carried out with a sample of gay men and lesbians to allow for the close examination of verbal and visual content disclosed in offline video diaries. This was followed by an interview study to examine the practicalities of using wearable and handheld technologies to facilitate this disclosure. Content was found to vary between sexes and recording device, with wearables facilitating a greater degree of discussion for certain topics. Moreover, the recording of point-of-view video diaries was found to be a useful tool in personal development. The findings from this thesis extend understanding of how gay men and lesbians engage in video-mediated communication. In addition, the findings reveal how wearable and handheld video recording can be used as a beneficial tool both for this group and the wider community