Dating in the age of Grindr

“As long as there’s some sort of communication, gays will work out how to use that for sex,” says comedian Nath Valvo in the intro to The Grindr Guide, a series of mini-vignettes about the lives of Australian gay men who use the social networking app Grindr.

Although Valvo may have his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, he does bring about an important point: gay men now have more ways to communicate with one another. And with the seemingly instant accessibility to potential partners/dates/boyfriends/contacts that phone apps bring, the dating scene has changed.

Damien Dunstan’s The Grindr Guide looks into the lives of a group of men at the issues, situations and shenanigans that living and dating in a Grindr world bring about. What could easily be a promotional fluff piece for the app delves into both personal and cultural issues that are experienced by its users.

Case in point: issues around race.

The series is slated to run about eight episodes, with five already posted. Keep an eye out for upcoming videos.

Journalist, writer, blogger, producer.

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