Date of Award

Spring 5-4-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Deirdre Oakley

Second Advisor

Wendy Simonds

Third Advisor

Desmond Goss

Abstract

In the 2000s, dating applications were created on and for mobile devices, including Grindr in 2008 (Grindr, 2015). Previous research on Grindr has primarily focused on users who are cisgender gay men. Now that Grindr proclaims itself a “queer” networking space, research on other LBTQ+ populations who use the application has increased. Still, nonbinary people’s identities and experiences remain understudied. I expand Goffman’s conceptualization of self-presentation to the virtual landscape of Grindr. Specifically, I consider the implication of impression management and stigma on the self-presentation of nonbinary people. I perform a content analysis on the individual profiles of nonbinary users, including visual (pictures) and textual (autobiographical) data. This thesis illuminates the lived experiences of nonbinary users navigating a dating application rooted in homonormativity, monosexuality, and the gender binary.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/29043987

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