Grindr and Diversity: What's the Tea?

Living in the Digital Era, we are no strangers to the Internet's powers - connectivity, ease of accessing information, etc. We also are no stranger to perils and dangers of it. Most of us have experienced, or at least witnessed, online abuse and harassment. No matter where you go looking, there is always some post or comment spewing negativity. Grindr, the online dating app advertised for LGBTQ users, is essentially a microcosm of this widespread hate on the internet. Over the years, Grindr has garnered a reputation for being a place online where harassment runs rampant.

In fact, there a whole entire website chalk full of examples of harassment on the app. But how does this discrimination occur so frequently and freely? One reason is the level of superficiality the app prioritizes. The app interface focuses mostly on physical characteristics of a user which promotes making users more appealing based on pure physical attractions and desires. It causes a lack of emotional depth which gives other users a limited view of one another, causing them to make hurtful comments and remarks on the app. 

Online overtness plays a big part in encouraging discriminatory behavior. People are more willing to say things online rather than in person. It is caused by a number of factors, like being able to stay anonymous and a lack of authority and rules to hold user's accountable for their actions.

Although Grindr advertises as being an app intended for the whole LGBTQ community, it is evident that the app is made with white, gay, cis-gendered men in mind. And while queerness knows no gender, race, sexuality, body type, anyone other than the previous descriptors have a hard time using the app. The most common types of discrimination seen on Grindr are based on race and femininity. racial discrimination happens by racist preferences where users describe not wanting to interact with certain races. A common example in many profiles, "No blacks" or "Sorry, no asians." They are also fetishized based on common racial stereotypes.

Femininity is policed on the app in similar ways to race. Like racist preferences, many users have the phrase "No femmes" advertised in their profiles. This causes men to often hide their feminine qualities on the app in order to avoid harassment by masculine men.

To combat these issues between users, Grindr released a campaign titled Kindr Grindr to bring awareness and help stop the online harassment. The campaign features new guidelines to report discriminatory behaviors on the app, as well as featuring a diverse group of users to bring light on the harassment they've faced. The campaign looks promising in promoting diversity. By encouraging open conversation between users of all different backgrounds and showcasing users of all different backgrounds, it hopes to raise their visibility and also dismantle harmful stereotypes.

While Kindr Grindr looks promising in theory, theres no way to know for sure if it will actually work, yet. Since it is so new, it will be interesting to see the ways they will uphold these new guidelines and if it is actually effective for users currently experiencing harassment on the app.