Social networking sites and participatory reluctance: A case study of Gaydar, user resistance and interface rejection

Abstract

This article conceptualises ‘participatory reluctance’ as a particular orientation to social media that problematises binarised notions of connection and disconnection in social networking sites. It qualitatively examines how the concept has functioned within gay men’s social networking service, Gaydar, among 18- to 28-year-old users of the site in Brisbane, Australia. Participatory reluctance is shown to be a central aspect of the culture of this space, fostered among the studied demographic by the convergence of the growing global push for marriage equality and increasing normalisation of the kinds of gay male identities commonly adopted among this group, with three key factors rooted primarily in Gaydar’s design: (1) young users’ perceptions of the site as a space for procuring casual sex, (2) their perceptions of the imagined user as embodying existing stereotypes of gay masculinity and (3) a lack of genuine alternatives in terms of niche digital spaces for gay men’s social networking.

Layers of Marginality: An Exploration of Visibility, Impressions, and Cultural Context on Geospatial Apps for Men Who Have Sex With Men in Mumbai, India

“…For example, others have observed exclusion by race or ethnicity (Daroya, 2017) on LBSAs. Payne (2007) and Cassidy (2015) further discuss "identity territoriality," whereby, some individuals lay claim to certain traits as they define their own identities often in ways that exclude others. In Mumbai, we observed a similar phenomenon with language.…”

Media practices in the making of an “other space”: Communicating inclusion, exclusion, and belonging in a controversial heterotopia

“…Media researchers have predominately analyzed social media in terms of connectivity, but have recently begun to examine the opposite in terms of media non-use, refusal, and so-called digital detoxes, the temporary avoidance of digital media (Cassidy, 2016;Costa, 2018;Karlsen and Syvertsen, 2016;Light, 2014;Light and Cassidy, 2014;Portwood-Stacer, 2012;Sutton, 2017). A desire to problematize the pervasiveness of digital media has also been discussed in terms of counter-mediatization (Jansson, 2018).…”

“…In order to facilitate a distance to society, Ängsbacka and Sexsibility has restrictive rules for the use of mobile phones, but it is far from a digital detox retreat. Recently, media researchers have begun to take an interest in non-use, reluctant use, so-called digital detoxes and refusal of digital media, and specifically social network sites (Cassidy, 2016;Costa, 2018;Karlsen and Syvertsen, 2016;Light, 2014;Light and Cassidy, 2014;Portwood-Stacer, 2012;Sutton, 2017). Elizabeth Costa (2018) argues that context collapse, a term coined by danah boyd (2002), is specific to certain groups of media users and not inherent to social media.…”

Photo use while dating: From forecasted photos in Tinder to creating copresence using other media

“…It thus relies on affordances of mobile media, using geolocation information (such as GPS or Cell IDs) to sort who will be visible on one's screen. This visibility is often a precarious undertaking, at times done reluctantly because no other options seem viable, particularly among groups of people who fear to be stigmatized because of their sexual behavior (Cassidy, 2016).…”