They say technology changes everything, and dating is no exception.
Historically, courtship practices have been disrupted by innovations like the telephone, the automobile and the birth-control pill. Today, it’s geospatial social networking applications, or GSNAs. These “hook-up apps” allow users to find and connect with potential partners through their smartphones.
Corey Johnson studies gender and sexual diversity within the cultural context of leisure. He is interested in how GSNAs like Tinder and Grindr are changing our relationship rituals, and whether these changes are good or bad in terms of sexual well-being and quality of life.
“We’ve heard from people who may devote hours to these apps, but never have a face-to-face conversation with anyone. So is this interaction meeting our needs for meaningful social relationships? Right now, we don’t know.”
Together with fellow professors Diana Parry and Lisbeth Berbary, Corey is leading a small study to fill this research gap. The team hopes to begin publishing their findings later this fall.
"Swipe Right?: Geospatial Social Networking, Gender and Sexual Identities" is funded by a UWaterloo Research Incentive Fund award.
