History and Theory Abstract 10.12.

22 - REFINING

1. A work title for the Dissertation: - REFINE

How will queer encounters maintain a physical footing in the age of the ‘digital sexual self’?

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2. A Brief Description of the Subject of the dissertation:- REFINE
- Relating to the seminar readings-

Looking at the concepts of the ‘spectacle culture’, how do these representations of the everyday
commodify and extract the natural from the

The main Questions that will be addressed:- REFINE

Main subject of the dissertation:

The dissertation will aim to look at the changing nature of queer encounters from before to after the
rise of locative based dating apps. The queer encounter would formerly frame and construct an
exquisite, temporal, and hidden masterplan of queer spaces across the city of London. Though the
political, economic, and cultural currents of the city have much changed since these pre app Queer
geographies. The nature and method of the queer meeting has changed beyond these contexts. It can
be, and is, argued that queer encounters are no longer so directly governed by legislation, economy, and
culture but rather commodified and morphed through digital ‘marketplaces’ established through
locative applications.

- A). What is happening to the Queer geography of London?

- B.) How does sex construct a queer architecture?
- C.) What role does sexuality play in the creation of a community?
- D.) How have sexual practices changed in the age of the ‘digital sexual self’?
- E.) How might these changes effect London’s homoerotic landscape?
3. A statement of aims and why you consider the subject interesting and important: REFINE

4. A summary of the main arguments and main themes driving the dissertation/research:
How do these points all relate to the spatial??

A). Acknowledging the changing context surrounding queer encounters in the country’s capital.
Looking at the closing of queer institutions across the city. Introducing the concept of the ‘digital
sexual self’, Grindr being used by 10 million users globally with 10,000 downloads per day. The
application is constantly growing and deployed in 192 countries. Finally, the introduction of the

B). Community and sociality. The methods by which non-heterosexual men in the city may be
detached from the community that they identify with. Taking examples from several reports and
studies, quoting their sense of disconnect from the communities at large. This being stirred by
their lack of physical insertion within the community, the lack of a tangible gay district/area.

Point break down:

1.) How has a sense of community and sociality changed?

-‘The evidence we have gathered suggests that the number of LGBTQ+ nightlife venues in Camden fell
by 40% between 2006 and 2018. This is still lower than the 58% decrease across London as a whole’.

2.) How have the community centres/institutions/ spaces effected this sense of community?
3.) How have digital platforms shifted/refracted the concept of ‘community’, can these
platforms be construed as a community in itself.

C). The development of ‘Hybridization’. The methods by which non-heterosexual men currently
can utilize GPS and locative applications to find potential sexual partners at any given time from
any given location. The deployment of these applications is in no way detracting amount by
which MSM (men seeking men) engaged in queer interaction however hybridization has
fundamentally changed the methods, nature, and outcome of the engagement.

The changes in the time scale of encounters, the rate at which people encounter each other.

1.) The time scale of the encounter. These apps extrude the moment of ‘seeking’ along the
whole day, unconstrained by time and place, these moments of searching become entwined
with the everyday.
2.) The commodification of the encounter, the ways in which people hybridise their sexual life
leads to a more commodified and efficient method of meeting others.
3.) The streamlining of the process and the abandonment of ‘chance’. As these networks
become ever more utilised and depended upon. The

D). The shift from public to private. The transitioning from the public to the private. The
associations non-heterosexual men may have with their homes. It can be argued that queer
people’s homes may stand as safe, non-hetero conforming spaces. The home may stand in
tension to public

The queer home, a haven?

 -Conclusion- a reflection of whether these applications have played a fundamental role in
changing London’s queer landscape and openly inviting the reader to comment on how these
changes in ‘seeking’ may impact the rest of the community and the institutions that represent it.

5. An indication of the key case studies or examples and sources you will engage with as
evidence in developing your arguments:
- Looking at the interviews given by numerous subjects across 2 reports.
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6. A statement of the research methods you will use and the approach you intend to take:
- Looking at the Broadgate institute, an extensive archive. These artefacts would range from the
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7. An indication of any key concepts or theories that you intend to engage with:
- Sexuality in space
8. A mention of the kind of illustrations that you will be using as a evidence and the sources of
these:
- Archived illustrations/photographs of queer spaces. These may be
- Diagrams drawing from statistical data of queer locations within the city
- The mapping of queer roaming, comparing its trajectories and locations pre and post digital
platforms.
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9. A suggestion as to how you might present your dissertation and why this is appropriate to the
subject matter:
- ?
10. A formatted indicative bibliography suggesting the existing academic context (i.e., the books
and articles that you deem relevant to the subject), suggesting which authors you will engage
with most closely:
1. Bonner‐Thompson C. Anticipating touch: Haptic geographies of Grindr encounters in
Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne, UK. Trans Inst Br Geogr. 2021;46:449–463. https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12417

2. Robert A.Nye - Michel Foucault's Sexuality and the History of

Homosexuality in France

3. Foucault, Michel. “Of Other Spaces.” Translated by Jay Miskowiec, Diacritics, vol. 16, no. 1, 1986, pp.
22-27.

4. Sam Miles (2017) Sex in the digital city: location-based dating apps and queer
urban life, Gender, Place & Culture, 24:11, 1595-1610, DOI: 10.1080/0966369X.2017.1340874

5. Andres Jaque - Grindr Archiurbanism November 3rd, 2017, No. 41, pp. 75-84
ISBN: 9780990735298.

6. Sanchez Molero - Queer(ing Digital) Citymaking: Resilience Through Local and Virtual Queer Spatial
Production in Times of Crisis
Artikel DOI: 10.18154/RWTH-2021-10418