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Social Consequences of Grindr Use: Extending the Internet-Enhanced Self-Disclosure Hypothesis

Published: 02 May 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Grindr, a location-based real-time dating application, provides sexual-minority men (SMM) a space through which they can identify, access, and communicate with one another. Although previous research has examined user motivations and public self-disclosure patterns on Grindr, we investigate the effects intimate self-disclosure and sexting via the application's private messaging on internalized homophobia and loneliness. Using the Internet-enhanced self-disclosure hypothesis (ISDH) as a framework, we conducted an online survey of 274 Grindr users. Serial mediation analysis showed support for the ISDH, suggesting that Grindr use was negatively associated with loneliness. Intimate self-disclosure and internalized homophobia mediated the relationship between Grindr use and loneliness, but sexting had no relationship with internalized homophobia or loneliness. We discuss implications for the ISDH, Grindr, self-disclosure, and sexting.

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    CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    May 2017
    7138 pages
    ISBN:9781450346559
    DOI:10.1145/3025453
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    1. grindr
    2. internalized homophobia
    3. loneliness
    4. self-disclosure
    5. sexting

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