A theory:
The defining trait of the 21st century gay male is not hypersexuality so much as metasexuality … a single-minded focus on managing the diverse digital platforms that generate sexuality, rather than on sexuality itself.
Image via dismagazine.
I wonder how many platforms guys are managing identities across. It is certainly true that the expectations seem to differ (Grindr, Scruff, Adam4Adam, Dudes Nudes, Jack’d, Hornet, Tinder…maybe the poles are Recon and OKCupid?).
I have the sense that people gravitate to one or maybe two. Would that contradict your hypothesis. Or would it just be “even with a single app, there’s still a lot of work being done in the management of the app”?
What does it mean to manage a platform? Curating pics and access to pics is one piece. Blocking and favoriting. When do conversations count as platform management? If two guys manage to hook up with just, say, 5 messages exchanged, do they count as really being focused on sexuality? Or are they virtuoso metasexuals? Or is it actually totally different activities that are required to answer that kind of question?
If there is a transition I think it’s from the fetishisation of the other to the fetishisation of the self. It seems a natural conclusion of consumer culture; one makes oneself the consumer *and* the product in a lovely closed loop.
Gay apps seem less modes of cruising than they are of display. I chatted to a guy on Grindr the other day who not only linked to his instagram account (featuring only shots of himself in underwear) but also his twitter account. Every tweet was also a picture of himself in underwear.
He did look good in underwear.
Works great Avinash. Keep up the good work. Hope you liked the do#17ion!I&n82at;m using the Mega8 with AVR USBASP.Is the calibration byte for the RC oscillator working? When I write and then read back, I get different data back (write box is ticked). I write (example) A6A6A6A6 and read A4A4A4A4…Do you have a list of known bugs/unfinished work (so I know if it is me being stupid, or just not finished)?!Less confirmation clicks on the next rev pls. And do we really need a ‘thank you’ message- it is a bit cheesy!Thanks fred