Departing Glances: A Sociotechnical Account of “Leaving” Grindr

On Grindr, a location-based social networking application aimed at gay men and their smartphones, the objective is to see and be seen. Within this context this study asks, “Why do users leave?” In contrast with previous literature on non-use that focuses on ubiquitous infrastructures or services, Grindr is a non-ubiquitous system that never the less has gained broad adoption with its target demographic. Drawing on qualitative interviews with sixteen men who have “left” Grindr, this paper explicates the site of departure, the means by which individuals leave, and the significance of their departure. Analysis of the diverse experiences shared challenges normative definitions of “leaving”, as well as of the application itself. I argue that leaving is not a singular moment, but an attenuated process involving layered social and technical acts; that understandings of and departure from location-based media are bound up with the individual’s location; and finally, that these stories of leaving Grindr destabilize normative definitions of both “Grindr” and “leaving”, and in turn expose a set of relational possibilities and spatial arrangement within which people move around. I conclude with implications for theories of non-use and technological departure.

发言人详细信息

Jed Brubaker is a PhD candidate in Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California – Irvine. His research interests include digital identity, social media, and practices of representation in data. Recently this has focused on studies of death on social network sites, the relationship between infrastructure and self-presentation, and “single-use” identities on sites like craigslist Missed Connections. This work draws from CSCW, HCI, psychology, science and technology studies, and critical theory. At UC Irvine, Jed is part of the Laboratory for Ubiquitous Computing and Interaction (LUCI) and the STAR research group. He previously earned his M.A. at Georgetown University in Communication, Culture and Technology, and his B.S. at the University of Utah in Psychology.

日期：
演讲者：
Jed Brubaker
所属机构：
UC Irvine