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| Grindr: The work of the devil! |
The Internet is abuzz with headlines that imply apps like Grindr are leading more men to get sexually transmitted infections, but with more men using these apps, and Grindr’s market having more than tripled since 2012 to an excess of 6 million worldwide users, it’s important we’re really clear about what this study does and doesn’t say...
As ever though, it’s all about context, and the context here is that this sample was a very narrow one from a very particular area of the United States. We can’t even say safely that the study is concrete enough for us to assert that all Los Angeles men who use GSM apps to meet other men are more likely to have an STI — the data simply isn’t comprehensive enough for that...
So what this study tells us is that there probably is a link between casual sexual encounters made through smartphone apps and a higher likelihood of contracting an STI if the user is engaging in unprotected sex. That’s not Earth-shattering news. Yet, even more crucially, it’s important to stress we don’t know enough about how these apps are being used to allow us to formulate a proper response to the health challenges that may arise.
We do know, however, that blunt reporting on studies like this without delving into what the research actually says, is also incredibly unhelpful for furthering our understanding of this issue.
As ever though, it’s all about context, and the context here is that this sample was a very narrow one from a very particular area of the United States. We can’t even say safely that the study is concrete enough for us to assert that all Los Angeles men who use GSM apps to meet other men are more likely to have an STI — the data simply isn’t comprehensive enough for that...
So what this study tells us is that there probably is a link between casual sexual encounters made through smartphone apps and a higher likelihood of contracting an STI if the user is engaging in unprotected sex. That’s not Earth-shattering news. Yet, even more crucially, it’s important to stress we don’t know enough about how these apps are being used to allow us to formulate a proper response to the health challenges that may arise.
We do know, however, that blunt reporting on studies like this without delving into what the research actually says, is also incredibly unhelpful for furthering our understanding of this issue.
Steve Williams, Do Gay 'Hook-Up' Apps Really Increase STI Rates?, Care2.
Does this survey tell us anything beyond how men who have unprotected sex with a lot of sexual partners are more likely to have an STD?
Or that some journalists genuflection to 'scientists' shows their unquestioning submission to authority?
Or that some journalists genuflection to 'scientists' shows their unquestioning submission to authority?
This 'Grindr Gay Sex Disease Explosion!' story was a gift to the straight and gay media - as ever few questioned the 'research'. By way of example, here's how Huffington Post reported it - The STARTLING Link Between Dating Apps And STI Risk - and the Daily Mail.
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No one on Grindr actually does the sex, though!!!
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