The Politics of Dating Apps: Gender, Sexuality, and Emergent Publics in Urban China (Information Society)

An examination of dating app culture in China, across user demographics--straight women, straight men, queer women, and queer men.

In this exploration of dating app culture in China, Lik Sam Chan argues that these popular mobile apps are not merely a platform for personal relationships but also an emerging arena for gender and queer politics. Chan examines the opportunities dating apps present for women's empowerment and men's performances of masculinity, and he links experiences of queer dating app users with their vulnerable position as sexual minorities. He finds that dating apps are both portals to an exciting virtual world of relational possibilities and sites of power dynamics that reflect the heteronormativity and patriarchy of Chinese society.

Lik Sam Chan is Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii
NOTES ON TRANSLATION AND TRANSLITERATION xi
1 INTRODUCTION: DATING APPS HAVE POLITICS, TOO 1
2 ARE DATING APPS A FEMINIST TOOL? A TECHNOFEMINIST ANALYSIS 29
3 CUTE IS THE NEW MANLY: PERFORMANCE OF CHINESE MASCULINITIES 53
4 CYCLES OF UNINSTALLING AND REINSTALLING: CONTRADICTORY AFFECTS IN GAY APP USE 75
5 BUILDING A CIRCLE FOR QUEER WOMEN: AFFORDANCE OF COMMUNAL CONNECTIVITY 97
6 CONCLUSION: EMERGENCE OF NETWORKED SEXUAL PUBLICS 119
APPENDIX: METHODOLOGICAL REFLECTION 131
NOTES 147
REFERENCES 155
INDEX 181