First, it was making anonymous accounts on Grindr when I was closeted, perusing my area to see if there was at least one other gay person within a 10km radius of my beachside town. Then, after coming out, I graduated to Tinder, going on dates in the city with travellers, or boys to whom I would dramatically retell my coming out story like it was a Greek tragedy.

Recently, though, dating online has lost any stigma that might have followed it in the era of Okcupid or ChristianConnection. When I jumped into this world as a gay 17 year-old, meeting up with strangers from the internet suddenly felt cosmopolitan; something to brag about with friends rather than a scene pulled out of To Catch A Predator. Now, no one seems to have an issue with meeting someone you had no information on – beyond their photos and age – or a stigma to admitting you enjoyed it.

Are You Getting Any? I’m 22, and I’ve Never Used a Dating App

In the past decade, online dating has become a window into a world of sex and connections, all facilitated by the apps on our phones. Aimlessly waiting by a bar to be asked “you come here often?” is the stuff of fantasy. Instead, dating apps have fit us with an armour of confidence and accessibility.

I Went To A Speed Dating Night And Beat My Phone Addiction By Getting Rejected Face-To-Face

Whether it was connecting with a boy at the pub for a midweek date or a one-night stand telling you to be quiet because their housemate was watching Fleabag in the other room, apps embraced us with open arms. (more…)