Abstract
In this study, we draw on sexual field theory to examine the structural nature of metropolitan Chinese gay men’s mobile dating practices in a polymedia environment where one can access an array of dating apps. We define structures of desire in the sexual field as not only the transpersonal valuations of desirability but also the dominance of particular desires that coordinate actors’ expectations and practices. Based on interviews with 52 urban Chinese gay men, we discuss the differing structures of desire hosted by four dating apps: Aloha, Blued, Grindr, and Tinder. Our analysis indicates that factors such as design features of dating apps, marketing strategies of app companies, and internet regulations have shaped the structures of desire by unevenly distributing the platform access to users across social classes and territorial divisions and (dis)enabling particular communicative practices in collective sexual life to different extents. The distance-sorted display of nearby users contributes to the predominance of immediate hook-ups on Blued and Grindr, while the matching mechanism of Aloha and Tinder functions as a “speed bump” and nourishes users’ expectations for lasting connections. As Blued is the most popular gay dating app on the heavily guarded Chinese internet market, the diversity of its users drives away many metropolitan middle-class gay men who only desire their own kind. In comparison, Aloha, Grindr, and Tinder, with smaller user bases, are more specialized sexual sites where the dominant currency of sexual capital reflects the middle-class standard for “quality.”
Highlights
Mobile dating applications, or “dating apps,” play a significant role in gay men’s dating lives (Wu & Ward, 2018)
There are abundant dating apps for gay men, such as Blued, Grindr, Hornet, Jack’d, Scruff, and Tinder (Chan, 2016; Licoppe et al, 2016; MacKee, 2016; Phua, 2020; Roth, 2014; Wang, 2020b). In such a polymedia environment (Madianou, 2014) where one can access an array of dating apps, how gay men differentiate these apps and choose certain ones for their dating practices remains to be fully discussed
It often refers to “the innate and nurtured physical, psychological, intellectual, moral, and ideological qualities of human bodies and their conduct” (Jacka, 2009, p. 524), relating other concepts like “civilization” and “modernity.” Embedded in China’s official civilizing project that is aimed at cultivating moral, responsible citizens, the concept of suzhi is often adopted by the urban middle class, serving the othering of the lower social classes such as peasants and rural migrants, who are often described as “low-suzhi” (Tomba, 2009)
Summary
“dating apps,” play a significant role in gay men’s dating lives (Wu & Ward, 2018). Dividing lines can align with the borders of subgroups within the queer community, as shown in how Scruff is targeted at the “bear” group (Roth, 2014) They can overlap with national borders, as seen in how the Chinese app Blued thrives in China’s heavily protected internet industry (Wu & Ward, 2020). The former case demonstrates the steering role of marketing strategies and the latter illustrates the dividing force of local governmental regulations
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