Grindr: Is the location-based app a roadmap to love?
Jorge is from Miami and Will is from New York, and the two never would have crossed paths but for a location-based dating app on both their smart phones aimed at connecting gay men.
While on holiday in New York, Jorge checked his account on Grindr. From his apartment on Manhattan's West Side, Will spotted Jorge's profile and invited him to chat.
A year later, Jorge moved to New York to be with Will.
Grindr - and similar dating apps - use GPS to allow gay men to find other gay men in their area. The app gives profiles of nearby users, complete with photos, short descriptions and proximity.
But not everyone finds romance or relationships through such apps.
KB, another New Yorker who did not want to use his full name, says the technology has radically changed the dating and cruising scene, making it too fast and impersonal.
He says he received numerous invitations for casual sex and ultimately deleted his account.
Produced by Jossette Rivera and Anna Bressanin. Camera by Fabrizio Conte.
12 Feb 2013
- From the section Magazine