Patterns of Geosocial Dating Application Use and Belongingness: A National Survey Among Gay and Bisexual Men Young Adults in the U.S

Background: Gay and bisexual young adult men use geosocial dating applications (GDAs) with high rates of prevalence. Their usage is connected to various social motivations and needs that include connecting with the LGBTQ+ community, finding sexual partners, and creating friendships. These motivations for using GDAs suggest that their achievement may be linked to positive health outcomes, such as higher levels of belongingness. Belongingness is positively linked to overall well-being and is a basic need for individuals. However, current literature has often conceptualized high frequency of GDA use as risk factor for various negative health outcomes such as condomless sex and problematic usage. Thus, the current study explores the patterns of GDA use among gay and bisexual men and their relationship to feelings of belongingness.

Methods: This exploratory cross-sectional study examined the associations between patterns of GDA use and levels of belongingness in a sample of gay and bisexual men. Data were collected using a national cross-sectional survey design that used social media recruitment strategies (i.e., Facebook and Instagram). Participants (N=84) responded to the general belongingness scale and numerous GDA usage characteristics. Descriptive analyses were performed for several patterns of GDA use, followed by a multiple linear regression predicting levels of belongingness. Analysis was completed using SPSS.

Results: 41.7% of participants used GDAs for the primary purpose of connecting with the LGBTQ+ community, followed by sex (23.8%), dating (15.5%), and entertainment (19%). A majority of participants (67.9%) used GDAs more than an hour daily. Higher frequency of using GDAs (β = 2.94, p = .001), being single (β = 4.33, p = .01), and primarily using GDAs for sex (β = 5.24, p = .02) were all statistically and significantly positively associated with higher levels of belongingness. Post-hoc analysis revealed that participants using GDAs for sex had significantly higher mean belongingness scores (M=58.7, SD=8.2) when compared to using GDAs for entertaining oneself (M=50.0, SD=6.0) and connecting with the LGBTQ+ community (M=50.6, SD=8.2).

Implications: Findings show that higher levels of GDA use per day and using GDAs for predominately for sex were both associated with higher levels of belongingness. Results from this study suggest that gay and bisexual men may use GDA in ways that are multifinal or serve multiple goals simultaneously. Conceptualization of GDAs as simply a risk factor for poor mental and/or sexual health outcomes may be ignoring important positive psychosocial outcomes of its usage and overlooking why gay and bisexual men engage with GDAs in the first place. Social work clinicians and researchers should consider the nuanced reasons that gay and bisexual men may use GDAs and the potential role of GDAs in meeting basic needs.