This performance of masculinity can primarily be seen in the photos of users’ photos and their bios. Men uphold this hierarchy by either advertising their valued characteristics or by seeking out “masced” men.
Mascing behavior has been documented across many of the largest dating apps, including Scruff, GROWLr, GuySpy, and Hornet, and even on dating websites like. Mascing culture is enabled and enhanced by the anonymous interface, which emboldens users to use discriminatory language and shields bigots from social criticism. , This culture of mascing marginalizes many gay men and creates exclusive and discriminatory spaces online. These gay men help construct a gendered hierarchy that privileges hypermasculine, “straight-acting,” young, and white men. ,, , This gendered discrimination is perpetrated largely by muscular, cisgender men who advertise themselves as hypermasculine and only seek other hegemonically masculine partners.
Recently, a budding body of literature has examined how these online spaces are ripe with discrimination against men who do not conform to narrow conceptions of hegemonic masculinity. Much of the homophobia, racism, and classism that affects gay men in the physical world is crystallized and exaggerated online.
, Unfortunately, not all users are able to enjoy these online spaces equally.
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Īpplications that provide men opportunities to foster relationships that extend into the offline world have exploded in popularity with recent studies showing that over 75 percent of MSM (men seeking sex with men) reported some or frequent use with dating apps and that gay men use these apps more frequently than their heterosexual counterparts. These modern apps have been called “hybrid media” because they blend the offline and online experience of users and complicate the distinction between the offline and the online self they provide gay men with the possibility of turning digital sexual exploration into physical sexual encounters. , Online platforms that provide social networking opportunities for gay men have transformed from simple forums and websites into sophisticated and highly popular apps like Grindr, Scruff, and Jack’d. The anonymous and disembodied nature of online engagement has created new opportunities for individuals who are questioning their sexual identities to explore and experiment with their own identities. Some scholars have researched how the internet, specifically social media platforms, have helped to normalize queer identities. For many gay men, online spaces serve as sanctuaries to meet other gay men, experiment with their personal identity construction, and cultivate gay communities. The proliferation of gay online spaces and the opportunity they present to experiment and explore one’s own sexual identity have made online platforms increasingly significant in the social, romantic, and emotional lives of gay men.