A Longitudinal Study on the Attitudes of Gay Men in Beijing Towards Gay Social Media Platforms: Lonely Souls in the Digital Concrete Jungle

2025-11-18

AI Summary

This study investigates the diachronic evolution of Beijing gay men’s attitudes toward LGBTQ+ social media platforms from 2013 to 2023. Employing a longitudinal mixed-methods design, it integrates archival analysis of online textual data, 412 surveys, and 32 in-depth interviews to trace a shifting usage logic—from initial enthusiasm, through mid-period critical engagement, to contemporary strategic multi-platform coordination (integrating domestic, international, and niche applications). The research develops the first temporal analytical framework for digital attitude evolution among marginalized populations and proposes a dual-dimensional platform design paradigm—“critical participation” and “community reconstitution”—emphasizing that technology design must simultaneously ensure safety, socio-emotional support, and user agency. Findings advance digital inclusion theory and inform the practical development of LGBTQ+-affirming digital infrastructures.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction
• Knowledge Representation and Reasoning: Preferences

Application Category

• Social Networks and Social Media: Media and governance, opinion dynamics, filter bubbles, polarization
• Responsible Web: Social and technical mechanisms of refusal for web technologies and applications
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Studies of user behavior, including longitudinal effects of personalized systems

Abstract

Over the past decade, specialized social networking applications have become a cornerstone of life for many gay men in China. This paper employs a longitudinal mixed-methods approach to investigate how Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM) have shifted their attitudes toward these platforms between approximately 2013 and 2023. Drawing on archival analysis of online discourses, a quantitative survey of 412 participants, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 participants, we trace the complex trajectory of this evolution. Our findings reveal a clear pattern: from the initial embrace of these applications as revolutionary tools for community building and identity affirmation (2014--2017), to a period of growing ambivalence and critique centered on commercialization, ``hookup culture,'' and multiple forms of discrimination (2017--2020), and finally to the present era (2020--2023), characterized by pragmatic, fragmented, yet simultaneously critical and reconstructive uses. Today, users strategically employ a repertoire of applications -- including global platforms (e.g., Grindr and Tinder), domestic mainstream platforms (e.g., Blued), and niche alternatives (e.g., Aloha) -- to fulfill differentiated needs. We develop a detailed temporal framework to capture this attitudinal evolution and discuss its design implications for creating more supportive, secure, and community-oriented digital environments for marginalized groups.

Problem

• Tracking Beijing gay men's attitude changes toward social media platforms
• Investigating evolving perceptions from community building to critical usage
• Developing temporal framework for marginalized groups' digital environment design

Innovation

• Longitudinal mixed-methods approach tracking attitude shifts
• Combining surveys, interviews, and online discourse analysis
• Developing temporal framework for evolving platform usage patterns