All I get is an emoji: dating on lesbian mobile phone app Butterfly

Abstract

Unlike mobile apps for gay men, lesbian dating apps have been slow to catch on as a habitual space to look for friends and lovers. This study adopted a qualitative approach to investigate the social expectations and romantic longings of Chinese lesbians and bisexual women aged 35 and above in establishing same-sex relationships using mobile media. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 Chinese lesbians and bisexual women, and participant observation was carried out on the Hong Kong-based lesbian social networking site Butterfly. The aim of the study was to explore the social meanings of intimacy created, negotiated and changed among Chinese lesbians and bisexual women. I argue that although social media presents ample opportunities for love and intimacy, the prevailing conservative values and cultural norms surrounding dating and relationships in Hong Kong are often reinforced and played out in their choice of romantic engagement.

Dating Apps and Their Sociodemographic and Psychosocial Correlates: A Systematic Review

“…For these people, being able to communicate online can be particularly valuable, especially for those who may have trouble expressing their sexual orientation and/or finding a partner [ 3 , 80 ]. There is much less research on non-heterosexual women and this focuses precisely on their need to reaffirm their own identity and discourse, against the traditional values of hetero-patriate societies [ 35 , 69 ].…”

Mind, Body and Boundaries: Self-Presentation on the Nordic LGBTQ Online Dating Scene

“…Instead, these are often reinforced and played out online. Misrepresentation and oppression in the broader heteronormative culture are frequently mirrored in non-heterosexual online dating (e.g., Boyd Farmer and Byrd, 2015;Tang, 2017). The selected dating site also influences users by promoting a certain atmosphere through features such as "new face-pics" and "popular movies, " both mostly representing men and the latter promoting semi-nude men.…”

Tinder’s lesbian digital imaginary: Investigating (im)permeable boundaries of sexual identity on a popular dating app

“…Contemporary apps and platforms tend to provide such codes and cater to certain forms of self-presentation through targeted marketing materials and interface design. Studies of websites and apps targeting WSW identify programmed gender categories that encourage users to self-categorize as femme, butch, or queer/other (Hightower, 2015; Tang, 2017). Her— a dating app for WSW — initially launched with marketing materials and a homepage backdrop that included photos of white, feminine cis-women socializing.…”

“…In pairing these images with an interface that mimics the soft feel of Pinterest, the design prescribed self-presentations reflecting a highly marketable, lesbian-identified “social collective of white femininity prioritizing a ‘fun, feminine vibe’” (Murray and Sapnar Ankerson, 2016: 64). While such apps may encourage users to conform to recognized, monolithic expressions of sexual identity, users also attempt to simultaneously subvert these categories, establishing multi-faceted self-presentations through photos, biographies, and other creative displays (Hightower, 2015; Tang, 2017).…”

“…While Tinder has historically been promoted among mainly heterosexual user populations, such as college sororities and fraternities (Summers, 2014), the app affords users the ability to change their account setting to “seeking” others of the same gender. With few apps targeted specifically for women seeking women (WSW) 1 (Murray and Sapnar Ankerson, 2016; Tang, 2017), these individuals turn to popular, predominantly heterosexual dating apps to meet others for dating (Hatmaker, 2014). However, popular platforms pose complications for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) people as they manage sexual identity disclosure across multiple, overlapping audiences (Cassidy, 2018; Cho, 2017).…”