COLUMN
HITCHED
ON APPS
Ex-Young Apprentice and
photographer HARRY HITCHENS
came out on YouTube, So what’s
next? He went on Grindr, of course!
Here’s what he found out.
Hey man what you doing? Is the
question you’re going to have to
answer more than any other.
Coming up with a good, clever,
witty answer to this question may
well determine your whole
experience of dating apps.
Members only. My phone is alive
with the sound of beeping and
squawking as another picture
arrives, is it of your face?
Unlikely…Would I go on a date with
someone who’s already shown me
what they’ve got in their pants…
also unlikely.
Hey sexy. Compliments are great.
You think I’m cute. Terrific. But if
you tell me you’re round the corner
and horny to boot, I’m not sure I
believe all the other really nice
things you’ve said to me.
Sorting the men from the boys.
This is really an important one. The
apps have age restrictions, but I’m
pretty sure that not everyone is
playing by the rules? Are older guys
using the apps to seek out younger
guys? Are guys who are too young
experimenting with apps? Are they
being careful?
Phone a friend. Everyone I met
who had been on a hook-up said the
same thing – they would
recommend telling a friend where
they were going and with whom.
Even though it would be better to
meet in a public place first, if not,
have a back-up plan and charge
your phone.
Instant Gratification. It is not –
if you’re a bit fussy or particular –
this is a lot of admin my friends.
Several apps on the phone, GiFi,
scruff, jack’d, mensch’d trying to
keep tabs on what you said to
whom, rejecting some, keeping
some interested enough… Hours go
by
Time to man up. You see
someone. They look nice. The
banter begins. It’s going well. Then.
Nothing. Ouch…
Casual sex. It’s catching with sex
potentially available from your
phone 24/7 people are taking more
risks than ever before and rates of
HIV and syphilis are on the up –
dramatically. Wrap it up, boys.
It’s addictive… Sorry were you
saying something? Friends are
ignored as you stare at your phone.
Food goes cold on your plate as you
dream up something witty to reply
to a potential date. Real friends
start to get ignored… like Facebook,
twitter etc. The apps are compulsive
– ping… ping… got to go!
Real people. It’s easy to forget
that behind the profile pics, the
dirty texts and the flirty messages
there are real people. The apps turn
our love lives and desires into a
game, which is fun, or into an
online store where we can pick out
something and have it delivered to
our door quicker than amazon. But
remember they’re actual people
with real feelings too.
TOP GROSSING DATING APPS
SCUFF Over 50 million
messages exchanged every
week from 5 million
worldwide users. Scuff is the
app if you are into muscle
guys, bears and rugged
dudes
GRINDR Arguably the
original gay dating app.
Changed the way gay men
around the world dated.
Over 7 million world-wide
users.
HORNET One of the
newer apps on the market,
but certainly making its
presence known.
Watch Harry Hitchen’s
Documentary Gay Sex Apps and
Me on 4OD from 11th August
8
BENDER Making a name
for itself with users, as it
also includes video
messaging and 200,000
downloads a month.
MORE INTERVIEW WITH
FROM GRINDR CREATOR JOEL
TGUK SIMKHAI
GAYDAR The original gay
dating site has gone mobile.
What you want, when you
want it!
AUG / SEPT 2014 | THEGAYUK 19