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EJSP

RESEARCH ARTICLE

iObjectify: Self- and other-objectification on Grindr, a geosocial


networking application designed for men who have sex with men
Joel R. Anderson‡ , Elise Holland* , Yasin Koc† & Nick Haslam*
* School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
† School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
‡ School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Correspondence Abstract
Joel R. Anderson, School of Psychology,
Australian Catholic University, Melbourne Grindr is a smartphone application for men who have sex with men (MSM).
Campus (St Patrick), Locked Bag 4115, Despite its reputation as a ‘hook-up app’, little is known about its users’ self-
Victoria 3065, Australia. presentation strategies and how this relates to objectification. This article
E-mail: joel.anderson@acu.edu.au explores objectification on Grindr. The results of Study 1 showed that Grindr
users objectified other men more than non-Grindr users. A content analysis
Received: 21 March 2017 of 1400 Grindr profiles in Study 2 showed that profile pictures with objectify-
Accepted: 2 November 2017 ing content were related to searching for sexual encounters. Finally, a survey
of Grindr users in Study 3 revealed that objectification processes and sexual-
https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2350
ized profile pictures were related to some objectification-relevant online
Keywords: objectification, self- behaviors (e.g., increased use of Grindr, discussion of HIV status). Interest-
objectification, male objectification, MSM, ingly, the presence of body focused profile content was more related to sexual
Grindr, online dating orientation disclosure (not being ‘out’) than to objectification. This article
presents evidence that Grindr usage and online presentation are related to
objectification processes.

Rapid advances in technology and evolving societal numerically restricted pool of partners and limited
conditions have fundamentally changed dating options for identifying them (Rosenfeld & Thomas,
practices. As the technology around e-dating continues 2012). The topic of this article is online dating practices
to improve, and individuals are becoming increasingly of men who have sex with men (MSM), and more
time-poor, people are finding it easier and more conve- specifically the methods by which they choose to repre-
nient to use online platforms to meet romantic partners. sent themselves online. We present a series of studies
Indeed, more people than ever are using such platforms. that explore how Grindr users visually present them-
A study by the Pew Research Centre (2016) revealed selves on the app, focusing specifically on objectified
that 38% of single American adults have used mobile self-presentation strategies. In doing so, we explore this
dating apps or online dating websites to look for a phenomenon and its associated outcomes through the
partner. This constitutes 11% of all adult Americans, lens of objectification theory.
an increase from just 3% in 2008. Globally, there
are an estimated 91 million online daters, with large
portions of this population being men (62%), and Grindr: A Location-Based Application Designed
under the age of 35 (70%), with the majority being for Men Who Have Sex with Men
relatively well-educated and from a range of socio-
economic and ethnic backgrounds (Global Web Grindr is a social network application targeted to MSM,
Index, 2015). which uses location-based technologies to identify other
The experience of online dating is undoubtedly differ- users. The application was launched in 2009, and it has
ent from traditional dating in several important ways. had a brief yet successful history with over 10 million
For example, the pool of potential partners is expanded downloads and over 5 million active users spread over
beyond the user’s existing contacts, and matching 192 countries, making it the most popular application of
algorithms allow a simultaneous refinement of the its type (Woo, 2013). Typically, Grindr is used by MSM
online pool to filter out non-relevant partners based to find partners for dating, friendship, or sex, although
on pre-defined criteria. Online dating services may be its reputation is for the latter (i.e., as a hook-up applica-
especially efficient ways for members of particular tion; Gudelunas, 2012). The few studies that have used
groups to identify members of a potential dating pool. Grindr have reported that the application provides easy
Research has suggested that online dating might be access to willing and hard-to-reach research samples
particularly useful for sexual minorities, who have a (Burrell et al., 2012; Eslen-Ziya & Koc, 2016; Koc, 2016).

600 European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
10990992, 2018, 5, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.2350 by University Of Toronto Libraries, Wiley Online Library on [27/01/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
J.R. Anderson et al. Self- and other-objectification on Grindr

The application is straightforward to use. Grindr users presented men with an image of a woman whose face
create a unique profile that is comprised of a series of and body were occluded by two separate boxes. Partici-
self-presentational elements, including a single picture pants were instructed to consider dating the woman in
of their choice, and then a series of optional text-based either a short- or long-term capacity, and were asked
additions including a display name, a byline, which one of the boxes (i.e., the ‘face box’ or ‘body
demographic details (e.g., age, ethnicity), a short open box’) to remove. They found that men assigned to the
text section, and then a series of options that can be short-term mating condition were significantly more
chosen to represent what the user is ‘looking for’ (either likely to remove the ‘body box’ than men in the long-
friends, relationships, chat, dates, networking, or ‘right term mating condition, suggesting that men have an
now’ [i.e., sexual encounters]). Visual examples of adaptive mechanism that manifests as a tendency to
Grindr profiles are presented in Figure 1. The Grindr focus on body cues under conditions where short-term
user’s smartphone device uses a GPS function to locate mating is salient. We propose to extend the work of
other users in close proximity and presents these Confer et al. (2010) in two new directions, by examin-
profiles to the original user who can choose to look at ing focus on body cues in self-presentation rather than
their profile and then initiate an online conversation. in the perception of others, and by studying
Of particular interest to the objectification-based non-heterosexual men. That is, we test whether a
hypotheses explored in this article is the ‘looking for’ short-term mating orientation translates into a focus
element in the description of the profile owner, and on one’s own body among MSM. In other words, this
the visual components of the picture used. article explores whether MSM with short-term mating
We argue, based on the work of Confer, Perilloux, goals are more likely to present themselves in a body
and Buss (2010), that Grindr’s ‘looking for’ element focused and objectifying manner. On Grindr, users
can be used to infer evolutionarily adaptive mating self-select a profile picture to represent themselves.
orientations, which might be related to objectification Although this content is typically a standard head-shot
processes. Specifically, when creating the profile, the style photo (as seen in Figure 1), there is the potential
user self-classifies as either having a long-term (i.e., re- for users to present themselves in an objectified way—
lationship) or short-term (i.e., right now [sexual en- they can choose a profile picture that is sexualized (e.g.,
counter]) dating goal, or an ostensibly non-dating goal wearing minimal clothing), or that has a body focus
(i.e., chats, friends, networking). Confer et al. (2010) (e.g., with the image cropped to emphasize their body).
tested the hypothesis that short-term mating goals in Since MSM often use Grindr to find sex partners, and
heterosexual men would lead to the prioritization of since Grindr users can potentially present themselves
bodily visual cues over facial cues. To do this, they in an objectified fashion, we believe it is useful to

Fig. 1: Example screen shots from a Grindr profile; the screen shows nearby users (left) or an individual profile (right). Images courtesy of Grindr’s
press kit [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 601
10990992, 2018, 5, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.2350 by University Of Toronto Libraries, Wiley Online Library on [27/01/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
Self- and other-objectification on Grindr J.R. Anderson et al

explore self-presentation and objectification strategies do (Kozak et al., 2009). Taken together, these findings
through objectification theory. suggest that the prevalence and impact of objectification
for MSM is greater than that of their straight counter-
Objectification Theory and Sexual Orientation parts, and thus further research in this domain is
warranted.
The tenets of objectification theory (Fredrickson & Rob-
erts, 1997) propose that women are sexually objectified Objectification, Online Media, and
in the Western world—a process that reduces them to Self-Presentation
the sum of their body parts (Bartky, 1990). As the the-
ory suggests, this objectification encourages women to Research demonstrates that women are commonly
adopt and internalize a third-person perspective of the presented in objectifying ways in the media, often in
self – i.e., to self-objectify – which results in a host of revealing attire (e.g., Aubrey & Frisby, 2011;
harmful mental health outcomes (for a review see Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008) or with a focus on their
Moradi & Huang, 2008). Although objectification the- body (Archer, Iritani, Kimes, & Barrios, 1983). Women
ory was originally applied to the lived experiences of tend to be displayed in such ways more often than men,
women, recent evidence suggests that men are also vul- although research shows that men are increasingly
nerable to objectification and its negative outcomes. Re- presented in sexualized ways in the media (Rohlinger,
search has revealed that men are objectified by others 2002), and that advertisements targeting MSM
(e.g., Gervais, Vescio, & Allen, 2011; Gray, Knobe, commonly place an emphasis on the male body
Sheskin, Bloom, & Barrett, 2011; Loughnan et al., (Saucier & Caron, 2008). A large literature suggests that
2010), and also engage in self-objectification (e.g., Hebl, targets are objectified to a greater extent when they are
King, & Lin, 2004; Strelan & Hargreaves, 2005; Thomp- sexualized (e.g., wearing revealing clothing) or
son & Cafri, 2007). The outcomes of being objectified displayed in a body-focused manner, compared to when
(by the self or by others) can negatively impact how displayed in plain clothes or with an emphasis on the
men are perceived and treated (Gray et al., 2011; face (e.g., Holland & Haslam, 2013; Loughnan et al.,
Loughnan et al., 2010), and objectification has been 2010). Although the relationship between how a target
shown to contribute negatively to men’s mental health is presented and their tendency to be objectified by
(e.g., Agliata & Tantleff-Dunn, 2004; Leit, Gray, & Pope, others is well established, much less research has
2002). Although a substantial body of evidence now re- addressed self-presentation and how this relates to
veals the prevalence and impact of objectification for (self-)objectification. Existing research in this domain
both men and women, less is known about how these has exclusively focused on female self-presentation
processes play out for sexual minorities. with (to our knowledge) no research exploring this
Objectification processes differ for men and women as phenomenon with MSM.
a function of their sexual orientation, and MSM in par- Finally, the majority of studies in the online dating
ticular are susceptible to being targeted for objectifica- literature have examined how individuals engage in
tion (for a review of the experiences and impact of self-presentation through the written, rather than
objectification for samples of lesbian women, see Hill visual, component of dating profiles (e.g., Deaux &
& Fischer, 2008; Kozee & Tylka, 2006). Compared to Hanna, 1984; Gonzales & Meyers, 1993). Among
straight men, MSM place more importance on physical studies focused on visual self-presentation, gender
attractiveness (e.g., Gettelman & Thompson, 1993; differences in online profile pictures have been found,
Morrison, Morrison, & Sager, 2004; Siever, 1994), strive with women more likely to be concerned with a positive
to achieve the mesomorphic ideal (i.e., a muscular yet self-presentation (e.g., Haferkamp, Eimler, Papadakis, &
lean build; Swami & Tovée, 2008; Tiggemann, Martins, Kruck, 2012), and thus to choose their picture based on
& Kirkbride, 2007), and are more attuned to their own perceived attractiveness (Strano, 2008). However, to
bodily appearance (Sergios & Cody, 1985; Silberstein, our knowledge, no research has explored objectification
Mishkind, Striegel-Moore, Timko, & Rodin, 1989). Re- and visual self-presentation (objectifying self-
search has shown that MSM score similarly to hetero- presentation strategies; e.g., body-focused or sexualized
sexual women on measures of self-objectification profile pictures). The recent increases in popularity of
(Engeln-Maddox, Miller, & Doyle, 2011), but signifi- online dating applications provide a unique avenue to
cantly higher than heterosexual men (Dakanalis et al., explore this relationship. Thus, we chose to explore the
2012; Kozak, Frankenhauser, & Roberts, 2009; Martins, relationship between visual self-presentation and objec-
Tiggemann, & Kirkbride, 2007). Among MSM, high tification in a sample of individuals who use Grindr.
levels of self-objectification have been associated with
an array of negative outcomes, including increased body Overview and Predictions for the Current
shame, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating Research
(Duggan & McCreary, 2004; Engeln-Maddox et al.,
2011; Martins et al., 2007; Yean et al., 2013; Yelland & Across three studies, we explore objectifying self-
Tiggemann, 2003). Beyond objectifying themselves, presentation strategies of MSM on Grindr and how this
MSM also tend to objectify other men, valuing men’s relates to their tendencies to objectify themselves and
bodies for how they look as opposed to what they can others. Given Grindr’s reputation as a short-term dating

602 European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
10990992, 2018, 5, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.2350 by University Of Toronto Libraries, Wiley Online Library on [27/01/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
J.R. Anderson et al. Self- and other-objectification on Grindr

(i.e., hook-up) app, we first test whether MSM who use relationship. Of the non-Grindr users, 26 participants
Grindr are more likely to objectify the self and other men (39%) reported being single, and the remainder as
than those who do not. To do this, in Study 1 we com- being in a relationship. Participation was voluntary
pare levels of self- and other-objectification reported by and non-incentivized.
Grindr users to MSM who have not recently used
Grindr. We then examine how objectifying self- Materials
presentation on Grindr (i.e., body focused and/or sexu- Self-Objectification. The Self-Objectification Ques-
alized profile pictures) relates to dating goals. Note that tionnaire (SOQ; Noll & Fredrickson, 1998) was adminis-
while we construe self- and other-objectification as tered to measure the extent to which participants
assessed in Study 1 as internal, psychological processes, objectified themselves. The questionnaire asks partici-
we consider body focus and sexualization as external, vi- pants to rank the impact of 10 different body attributes
sual features of a target that facilitate a view of the target on the physical self-concept. Five are observable
in an object-like manner. To explore the relationship be- appearance-based attributes (e.g., physical attractive-
tween self-presentation (i.e., objectification as a feature ness, sex appeal), and five are non-observable
of the target) and dating goals, in Study 2 we present a competence-based attributes (e.g., energy level, health).
content analysis of Grindr profiles and investigate Participants ranked the 10 attributes from 1 (least impact
whether either body-focused or sexualized on the physical self-concept) to 10 (greatest impact on the
representations of the self can predict users’ inferred physical self-concept). For each participant we calculated
mating orientation (i.e., short- vs. long-term). Finally, a difference score reflecting the relative emphasis given
we examine the relationship between objectification to these two types of attributes, by subtracting the sum
and online-dating behaviors. To do this, in Study 3 we of the ranks for the competence-based attributes from
conduct a survey examining the relationship between the sum of the ranks for the appearance-based
reported self- and other-objectification (i.e., objectifica- attributes. Differences scores ranged from 25 to 25,
tion as a process), visual objectification (i.e., as a with higher scores reflecting greater self-objectification
self-presentation feature of the target), sexual orienta- (i.e., greater emphasis on appearance-based attributes).
tion disclosure, and risky behaviors on Grindr (including
safer sex practices, discussion of HIV status with Grindr- Objectification of Men. An adapted version of the
based sex partners, and frequency of finding sex part- SOQ was used to assess the objectification of men
ners on Grindr under the influence of drugs or alcohol). (Strelan & Hargreaves, 2005). Specifically, participants
ranked the importance of the 10 body attributes to their
Study 1 appraisal of other men, rather than ranking the impor-
tance of these attributes to their own self-concept. As
The aim of this study was to explore if self- and other- per the SOQ, difference scores ranged between 25
objectification processes differ for MSM who use Grindr and 25, with positive scores reflecting greater objectifi-
compared to MSM who do not. Because Grindr is classi- cation of men.
fied as an online dating application (Gudelunas, 2012),
and is often used as a hook-up app, its mere use likely Procedure. Potential participants were provided
makes short term-mating goals salient. Thus, we with a link to the survey, which was hosted by
predicted, based on Confer et al. (2010), that Grindr Qualtrics™. After providing informed consent, partici-
users would objectify both themselves and other men pants indicated if they were current users of Grindr
more than non-users. In line with previous research (and how long since last login if they were not current
(e.g., Kozak et al., 2009), we also predicted self- and users), and completed the objectification measures in a
other-objectification scores to be positively correlated. counterbalanced order. They then completed
demographic information, and were debriefed.
Method
Results
Participants. Participants were 169 Australian
MSM (age range: 18–69 years, M = 31.88, SD = 9.68). To explore if Grindr use was associated with self- and
The sample comprised two groups. The first group was other-objectification, we conducted two independent-
103 MSM who currently used Grindr, recruited for the samples t-tests. The main analysis revealed that there
study via an advertisement posted on Grindr. For the was no significant effect of Grindr use on levels of self-
second group, we attempted to recruit a sample of objectification, t(167) = 0.68, p = .500. However, Grindr
MSM who had never used Grindr. However, this use was significantly associated with the objectification
proved to be a challenging task (most likely because of of other men, t(167) = 2.46, p = .015, Cohen’s d = .37.
the popularity of the app). We therefore recruited 66 As shown in Figure 2, current Grindr users were more
MSM who had not used Grindr recently (M = 1.57 years likely to objectify other men compared to those not
since last use, SD = 1.35) through Facebook groups for using Grindr.
MSM. Indeed, all of these participants had used Grindr On the basis of the literature, we had no reason to
before. Of the Grindr users, 68 participants (66%) predict that relationship status would influence other-
reported being single, and the remainder as being in a objectification. However, given that there were

European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 603
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Self- and other-objectification on Grindr J.R. Anderson et al.

predictions are based on two assumptions. First, we as-


sume that those saying they are looking for a ‘relation-
ship’ have a long-term mating strategy, whereas those
saying they are looking for ‘right now’ have a short-
term mating strategy. Second, we assume that individ-
uals choose profile pictures to represent certain aspects
of themselves online, and that characteristics of that
self-representation can be used to infer objectification.
Drawing upon previous research (e.g., Aubrey & Frisby,
2011; Hall, West, & McIntyre, 2012; Loughnan et al.,
2010), we employed two indices to document if the
individual’s profile picture was objectified. First, we
assessed whether or not the picture was sexualized,
Fig. 2: Mean self- and male-objectification scores among current
Grindr users, and non-Grindr users (Study 1). Error bars represent
operationalizing this by assessing whether or not the
±1 SE individual in the profile picture was topless. Second,
we examined the extent to which the individual
significantly more single Grindr users and coupled non- objectified themselves by using a body-focused picture
Grindr users than would be expected by chance, χ2 (1, (i.e., an image in which the body occupies the majority
N = 159) = 13.48, p < .001, we ran a separate test of space; Archer et al., 1983).
including relationship status as a factor. Our analysis On the assumption that what an individual says they
revealed no effect of relationship status on other- are looking for in their profile represents their mating
objectification, F(1165) < 1, p = .623, η2p = .000, nor goal, and the content of their profile picture can be used
any interaction between relationship status and Grindr to infer self-objectifying processes, we can explore the
usage, F(1165) < 1, p = .696, η2p = .000, suggesting that relationship between visual self-presentation and
lower levels of other-objectification among non-Grindr mating goals or strategies. To achieve this task, we
users was not driven by relationship status. conducted a content analysis based on the information
To test the remaining hypothesis, we conducted a available on existing Grindr profiles. Specifically, the
series of bivariate correlations and, as expected, self- content analyzed was all provided by users on their
objectification and other-objectification were signifi- existing public profile – this content included the way
cantly positively correlated, r(167) = .46, p < .001. they choose to represent themselves visually (i.e., pic-
ture selection), their demographic details, and their
reported reason for using the application. Building on
Discussion
the work of Confer et al. (2010), we expected to find
that individuals who represent themselves with profile
In this survey, we found evidence that objectification
pictures that are sexualized or body-focused would be
levels differ between MSM who use Grindr and those
more likely to report a short-term mating strategy (i.e.,
who do not. Grindr users in this sample objectified other
report looking for ‘right now’). Conversely, individuals
men more than did MSM who do not use Grindr,
who represent themselves with profile pictures that
although reported self-objectification scores did not dif-
are not sexualized or have less of a body focus would
fer between the groups. Finally, and in line with previ-
be more likely to report a long-term mating strategy
ous research (e.g., Kozak et al., 2009), objectification
(i.e., report looking for a relationship).
and self-objectification scores were strongly correlated.
It is worth noting that the categorical nature of the
Method
between-groups comparison may raise some validity
concerns; we attempted to find MSM who had never
Sample. The sample consisted of 1400 Grindr
used Grindr and failed because of its great prevalence
profiles of users within the metropolitan Melbourne
in the sampling locale. Instead, we used MSM who
region. These profiles were accessed via smartphone
had not recently used Grindr. Although this means that
across a period of four weeks. The researchers recorded
we cannot draw conclusions about how current users of
the demographic information for each profile, including
Grindr differ from those who have never used it, we can
the user’s age, ethnicity, and relationship status. In addi-
validly compare current users and current non-users.
tion, the researchers recorded what the user’s self-
reported reasons were for using Grindr from the follow-
Study 2 ing six categories: ‘chats’, ‘dates’, ‘friends’, ‘networking’,
a ‘relationship’, and ‘right now’. Users are able to select
The purpose of Study 2 was to examine the prevalence as many of these six options as they would like, and thus
of objectifying self-presentation on Grindr (i.e., sexual- we coded each category as to whether it was selected
ized and/or body-focused presentations) and whether (coded 1) or not (coded 0). A screenshot of the profile
such self-representations are associated with short-term picture was also captured to allow for the calculation
mating strategies (note that in this study, we are explor- of body focus at a later date, and to enable the removal
ing objectification as a feature of a target). Our of duplicates from the sample.

604 European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
10990992, 2018, 5, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.2350 by University Of Toronto Libraries, Wiley Online Library on [27/01/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
J.R. Anderson et al. Self- and other-objectification on Grindr

There were a number of criteria for selecting profiles the head to the lowest point of the chin) by the height
to be analyzed. First, the individual had to specify in in pixels of the target’s whole body (from the top of
their profile what they were looking for on Grindr. the head to the lowest visible point of the body). For
As such, users who did not select at least one of the ease of interpretation, facial prominence scores were re-
six available reasons for using Grindr were excluded verse scored such that higher scores indicated a higher
from the sample. Second, users needed to include a focus on the body (i.e., body focus index) – thus, possi-
picture in their profile, and this picture needed to be ble scores ranged from 0 (in which only the face was
of themselves. Thus, profiles that featured pictures of shown) to 1 (in which none of the face was in view).
celebrities, cartoons, or objects were not included. Sexualization was a simple categorical variable in which
Third, we only retained profiles in which one male raters classified the profile as being clothed or not (i.e.,
was shown in the picture. Users could be shown classification was based on whether the individual in
accompanied by females in their profile picture; how- the picture had clothing on the top half of their body
ever, we discarded profiles in which multiple men or not). Profiles in which the individual was wearing a
were shown, as it was therefore impossible to deter- top were coded as 0, and profiles in which the target
mine which one of the men owned the profile. Lastly, was not wearing a top were coded as 1. For each of these
we only selected profiles for the sample in which the variables, higher scores thus reflect higher levels of
user was presented vertically. This was to ensure that objectification.
body focus could be calculated properly (see below To establish inter-coder reliability, each profile was
for calculation method). We did, however, retain blind double-coded (by the second and third authors),
photos in which the user was presented horizontally following the suggestions of Lombard, Snyder-Duch,
when the head was not shown, as this did not impact and Bracken (2002). Inter-rater reliability on our
calculation of body focus (see below for detail). obtained results was exceptionally high on both the
The primary and secondary authors each collected body-focus index (Pearson’s r = .99), and the clothing
half of the Grindr profiles. Once all 1400 profiles had index (Cohen’s к = .98). Additionally, a two-way mixed
been collected, 48 duplicates were removed, and an ex- effects model revealed an intraclass correlation of .99
tra 48 profiles were collected until the sample returned (p < .001). To determine the final code to be applied
to 1400. to each stimulus in the final dataset, we randomly
divided the profiles from the sample into two groups,
Variables Coded. The variables coded for each pro- and the coding decision of each coder was alternatively
file are presented in Table 1, and the complete coding ta- selected for use in analyses.
ble is available from the first author. In line with
previous research (e.g., Archer et al., 1983; Loughnan Results
et al., 2010), we assessed body focus by calculating a
face-ism index (i.e., the relative prominence of the face We conducted a series of analyses to see if objectifying
in the profile picture), which was calculated by dividing self-presentation (i.e., body focus, sexualization) could
the height in pixels of the target’s face (from the top of be predicted by the reported purpose for using Grindr

Table 1. Mean (SD) or frequency of variables used in content analysis as a function of demographic information available on Grindr profile (N = 1400; Study
2)

Variable Clothed Shirtless Total Statistic statement

Body focus index .49 (.23) .73 (.25) - t(1395) = 17.49, p < .001, dCohen = 0.86
Age 29.21 (7.70) 29.55 (7.15) - t(1141) = .69, p = .488, dCohen = 0.04
Ethnicity
2
Caucasian 575 227 802 χ (1) = 151.00, p < .001
2
Asian 112 65 177 χ (1) = 12.48, p < .001
2
Middle Eastern 9 3 12 χ (1) = 3.00, p = .080
2
Latino 15 9 24 χ (1) = 1.50, p = .227
2
Othera 66 37 103 χ (1) = 7.686, p = .006
2
Did not disclose 206 76 282 χ (1) = 59.92, p < .001
Relationship status
2
Single 610 238 848 χ (1) = 163.19, p < .001
2
Partnered 41 16 57 χ (1) = 10.97, p < .001
2
Open relationship 20 12 32 χ (1) = 2.00, p = .157
2
Otherb 8 2 10 χ (1) = 3.60, p = .058
2
Did not disclose 303 149 452 χ (1) = 52.47, p < .001
Total
2
Entire Sample 983 417 1400 χ (1) = 228.18, p < .001

Notes: Body focus index is ratio level of measurement; Clothing index is ordinal level of measurement (scores represent frequency of clothed profiles); Sig-
a
nificant statistical statements are presented in boldface; Other is constituted of respondents identifying as Black, South Asian, mixed race or other (ns = 5, 8,
b
73, & 16, respectively); Other is constituted of respondents who indicated they were dating, married, exclusive, discreet, or committed (ns = 6, 1, 1, 1, & 1,
respectively).

European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 605
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Self- and other-objectification on Grindr J.R. Anderson et al.

(i.e., looking for chats, dates, friends, networking, rela- only the constant was statistically significant, suggesting
tionships, or sexual partners). A higher proportion of that the predictors (as a set) can reliably distinguish
profiles had pictures in which the user was clothed between Grindr profile pictures that are sexualized
(.70) than topless (.30), and the former (Mbody focus = .49, compared to ones that are not χ 2(6) = 114.40,
SD = .22) showed lower mean body focus than the latter p < .001, and that this model is a good fit, H-L statistic
(Mbody focus = .73, SD = .25, t(1398) = 17.99, p < .001; p = .677. Prediction success of the model was 72% (for
Cohen’s d = 1.02). The majority of the sample identified coefficients, see Table 2). Individuals who reported that
as single and as Caucasian, although there was a high they use Grindr to find friends, relationships, or chatting
frequency of profiles that did not disclose either their were approximately one and a half times more likely to
relationship status or their ethnicity. A full description have a non-sexualized profile picture than a sexualized
of the sample is presented in Table 1. picture. In contrast, individuals reporting the use of
Grindr to find sexual partners were approximately three
times more likely to have a sexualized than a non-
Sexualization. In order to predict sexualization sexualized profile picture.
from the reported purpose for using Grindr, we con-
ducted a loglinear analysis. Given the six (dichoto-
mous) purposes that could be selected, we created six Body Focus. In order to estimate the proportion of
models to test. The first model tested for main effects, variance in the body focus index that can be accounted
the second for 2-way interactions, the third for 3- for by the reported reasons for using Grindr, we
way interactions, and so on. An omnibus test of model conducted Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA). The
coefficients revealed that only the first model testing six possible reasons for using Grindr were dummy
for main effects was significant (p < .001; all models coded to allow their use as independent variables in
testing for higher order interactions were p > .05), the MRA. In combination, these variables accounted
and thus we chose to test a model without any inter- for a significant 9% in the variance of the body focus
action terms. We also ran these tests using age, ethnic- index, F(6,1391) = 23.12, p < .001, R = .30, Cohen’s
ity, and relationship status as predictors; as none were f2 = .10. It was revealed that using Grindr to find friend-
significant predictors, and in the name of parsimony, ship or relationships (i.e., long-term goal) predicted
we opted to exclude the demographic predictors from lower body focus (i.e., higher facial prominence),
the reported analyses. whereas using Grindr to seek out sexual partners (i.e.,
A test of a model with the six predictor variables (i.e., short-term goal) predicted higher body focus scores
possible purposes for using Grindr) against a model with (i.e., lower facial prominence; see Table 3).

Table 2. Coefficients of the model predicting sexualized content of profile picture [bootstrap confidence intervals based on 1000 samples] from reported
purpose for using Grindr (N = 1400; Study 2)

95% CI for Odds Ratio

B SE b Lower Odds Upper Wald p

Constant 0.819 0.136 .441


Chats 0.297 0.141 1.021 1.346 1.775 4.426 .035
Dates 0.031 0.149 0.725 0.970 1.298 0.010 .836
Friends 0.545 0.158 1.266 1.725 2.349 11.950 .001
Networking 0.048 0.134 0.733 0.954 1.240 0.125 .724
Relationships 0.363 0.139 1.095 1.438 1.889 6.809 .009
Right Now 0.918 0.127 0.311 0.399 0.513 51.965 <.001
2
Notes: Significant predictors and their statistics are presented in boldface; CI = confidence interval; Final model χ (6) = 114.40, p < .001; This model predicts
if the individual portrayed in the profile is shirtless (vs. fully clothed).

Table 3. Unstandardized (B) and standardized (β) regression coefficients, and semi-partial correlations for predictors in a multiple regression model
predicting the body focus index from reported reasons for using Grindr (N = 1400; Study 2)

B [95% CI] SE B β p Sr

Constant 99.601 [99.56, 99.64] .021


Chats 0.014 [ 0.045, 0.017] .016 0.024 .388 .022
Dates 0.005 [ 0.037, 0.027] .016 0.009 .764 .008
Friends 0.085 [0.121, 0.049] .018 0.132 <.001 .119
Networking 0.011 [ 0.070, 0.039] .014 0.021 .437 .020
Relationships 0.041 [ 0.070, 0.011] .015 0.078 .007 .070
Right Now 0.112 [0.085, 0.139] .014 0.217 <.001 .208

Notes: Significant predictors and their statistics are presented in boldface; CI = confidence interval. This model predicts increases in body focus (which cor-
responds to a decrease in facial prominence).

606 European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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J.R. Anderson et al. Self- and other-objectification on Grindr

Discussion behaviors, and that these behaviors may be harmful to


the owner of the Grindr profile (in the case of self-
In this content analysis, we found evidence that the objectification) or to the profile owner’s sexual partners
use of objectifying (i.e., sexualized, body-focused) (in the case of other-objectification).
profile pictures on Grindr was related to short-term In this study, we operationalized objectification in
mating strategies. Our hypotheses were supported. multiple ways: we asked participants to report their
Specifically, we found that reporting a short-term level of objectification (both of the self and of others),
dating goal (i.e., looking for ‘right now’) was predicted and assessed their level of visual self-objectification
by profile pictures that were sexualized, or had more from their profile pictures. Our specific predictions are
of a body focus. We also found that reporting a long- as follows: First, we predicted that higher self-reported
term mating strategy (i.e., looking for ‘relationships’) objectification would be related to greater visual objecti-
was predicted by profile pictures that were not sexual- fication. Second, we formed a number of predictions
ized, or less body focused (or had higher levels of facial regarding how objectification would relate to Grindr
prominence). Finally, we also found that profiles behaviors. Specifically, we predicted that both length
reporting that they use Grindr to find friends or of time using Grindr and the frequency of its use, as well
chatting (i.e., indicating no mating strategy) were also as its specific use to find sexual partners, would be
more likely not to self-sexualize. related to higher levels of reported and visual objectifi-
It is worth recognizing that we had no way of cation. Third, in terms of risky behaviors, we predicted
controlling extraneous reasons for profile picture that using Grindr to find sex partners under the influ-
choice beyond the hypothesized relationship with ence of drugs/alcohol, having unprotected sex, and
objectification. For example, a high body focus score being less likely to discuss one’s HIV status would be
might be the result of objectification-related processes, related to higher levels of reported and visual
but it could equally be the result of an individual who objectification.
is not ‘out’, choosing to conceal their identity by Finally, we tested an alternative explanation for body
cropping their face from their profile picture. Given focus on Grindr: In cases where the user is not open
that this is a content analysis, this extraneous variable about his sexual orientation, such profile pictures
cannot be accounted for. However, it is worth (showing little or none of their face) might be a tactic
highlighting as this could be an attenuating factor to conceal the user’s identity. Thus, we also measured
resulting in the apparently small effect sizes reported the user’s level of sexual orientation disclosure to see
in this study (particularly for the body-focus based whether this is more strongly related to body focus than
analyses). We also acknowledge as a limitation of this objectification.
content analysis that there is likely to be a proportion
of profile pictures in this sample that might not be real Method
pictures of the owner.
Thus far we have shown that MSM who use Grindr Participants. The sample consisted of 300
are more likely to report objectifying other men than Australian men who were current users of Grindr (age
those who do not use Grindr, and that visual self- range 18–70 years: M = 31.55, SD = 10.99). Participants
objectification strategies on Grindr are related to short- were recruited to voluntarily take part in this study via a
term mating goals. As a final step, we sought to explore pop-up advertisement that appeared upon logging in to
the relation between reported and visual objectification Grindr. The majority of users were single (77%), with a
among Grindr users, and how these forms of objectifica- small portion (15%) in an open relationship, and the
tion relate to online dating practices, such as personal remainder in a monogamous relationship (8%). The
disclosure and risky behaviors. length of time for which participants had been using
Grindr ranged from one to 68 months (M = 38 months,
Study 3 SD = 18 months). The majority of participants (70%)
identified as completely homosexual, with 17% identi-
The aim of Study 3 is to explore the relationship be- fying as mostly homosexual, and a further 13% indicat-
tween reported self- and other-objectification (i.e., ob- ing bisexuality (individuals who identified as
jectification as a process) and visual self-objectification heterosexual were ineligible to participate).
on Grindr (i.e., sexualization and body focus – objectifi-
cation as a visual feature of the target), and then to ex- Materials
plore how these relate to Grindr usage, self-disclosure Reported objectification. Levels of reported self-
of sexual orientation, and relevant behaviors (including objectification and the objectification of men were again
safer sex practices, discussion of HIV with Grindr-based measured using the SOQ (Noll & Fredrickson, 1998),
sex partners, and frequency of finding sex partners on and the MOQ (Roberts et al., 2002; Strelan &
Grindr under the influence of drugs or alcohol). Given Hargreaves, 2005), as in Study 1.
that objectification is associated with dehumanizing
outcomes, such as an increase in pain allocation (e.g., Visual objectification
Loughnan et al., 2010), we argue that objectification Body focus. One question measured the extent to
on Grindr may be linked to engagement in risky online which the participant’s profile emphasized the body.

European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 607
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Self- and other-objectification on Grindr J.R. Anderson et al.

Specifically, participants were asked to select which best identify how ‘out’ they were on a scale ranging from 0
described their current profile picture from the follow- (not at all) to 100 (completely).
ing six options: ‘It is a headshot’, ‘It shows my head
and upper body’, ‘It’s a full body photo of me’, ‘It focuses Risky behaviors on Grindr. We assessed four differ-
on my body without showing my head’, ‘The photo is ent types of risky behaviors relevant to the use of
not of me’, and ‘I don’t have a profile photo’. The first Grindr: frequency of engaging in unprotected sex with
four of these options were then coded, in a ranked fash- partners, frequency of finding sex partners on Grindr
ion, from lowest in body focus to highest (1–4) – the fi- under the influence of drugs, frequency of finding sex
nal two of these options were excluded from analyses partners under the influence of alcohol, and frequency
(percentages displayed in Table 4). of discussing HIV status with partners found on Grindr
before engaging in sexual activities. All items were rated
Sexualization. We asked participants to describe their on a 5-point scale (1 = never; 5 = always).
current profile picture in a sentence or two (providing
details of where the photo was taken and what they Procedure. Participants responded to the advertise-
are wearing) to ascertain whether or not participants ment on Grindr by following a link to the study, which
presented themselves in a sexualized manner. These was hosted by Qualtrics™. Participants provided in-
open-ended responses were subsequently blind formed consent and then completed all of the measures
double-coded (by the second and third author). described above—these measures were
Descriptions that indicated the participant was wearing counterbalanced by the software hosting the experi-
clothes on their upper body were classified as ‘clothed’ ment. Finally, the participants provided demographic
and coded as ‘1’. Conversely, descriptions that indi- information and then were debriefed.
cated the participant was topless were coded as ‘0’. If
participants did not indicate their clothing in the Results
description but this information could be inferred
(e.g., they described themselves as being in a Table 4 presents the frequencies of the visual self-
swimming pool), then the inferred code was used. If objectification variables (i.e., body focus and
participants did not mention their clothing in the sexualization), and the results of correlation analyses
description and it could not be inferred, then we did are presented in Table 5. Self- and other-objectification
not code this variable for the participant. Across the scores were moderately correlated, as were the scores
two coders, inter-rater reliability was extremely high for body focused and sexualized profiles. Sexualized
(Cohen’s к = .95), and inconsistencies were resolved profiles and reported self-objectification were weakly
by the first author. correlated. No other correlations were significant.

Grindr usage and history. Three questions measured Visual Self-Objectification. To examine the im-
participants’ history of Grindr use. First, participants pact of body focus and sexualization on reported objec-
indicated how long in months they had been using the tification and behaviors, we compared (a) profiles with
application. Second, we asked participants how high body focus to those with low body focus, and (b)
frequently they used Grindr (1 = hardly ever; 7 = daily). sexualized and non-sexualized profile pictures.
Third, participants were asked how frequently they
used Grindr to find sex partners (1 = never; 5 = always). Body focus. Forty participants (13%) indicated that
they either did not have a profile picture, or it was not
Sexual orientation disclosure. A single item assessed of themselves, thus the reported analyses only include
the extent to which participants had disclosed their participants who reported that their Grindr profile pic-
sexual orientation to others: participants were asked to ture was of themselves (n = 260). We conducted a series
of one-way between-subjects ANOVAs to explore for
differences in our variables of interest as a function of
Table 4. Profile picture characteristics: Frequencies of body focus and the level of body focus in the profile picture. The analy-
sexualization (Study 3) sis exploring level of sexual orientation disclosure (i.e.,
N % ‘outness’) revealed significant differences between the
groups, F(3, 256) = 5.25, p = .002, η2p = .06, and post
Body focus Headshot 78 26%
hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that individuals with
Head and upper body 95 32%
Full body photo 39 13%
only their body on display in their profile picture
Body only 48 16% (M = 59.77, SD = 39.04) were significantly less likely to
Photo not of self 18 6% be ‘out’ than individuals who displayed a headshot
No profile photo 22 7% (M = 76.99, SD = 29.78, p = .011), their head and upper
Total 300 100% body (M = 77.42, SD = 26.64, p = .006), or their full body
Sexualization Non-sexualized 153 51% (M = 82.26, SD = 23.73, p = .003). None of the other
Sexualized (i.e., topless) 57 19%
analyses reached significance (ps > .303). We also con-
Unspecified 90 30%
Total 300 100%
ducted Spearman’s Rho correlation analyses to explore
for non-parametric relationships between these

608 European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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J.R. Anderson et al. Self- and other-objectification on Grindr

Table 5. Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients among the objectification variables and related outcomes (Study 3)

Scale
Range Mean (SD) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.Body focus 1–4 -


2. Sexualization 0–1 .39*** -
3. SOQ 25 - +25 5.58 (11.40) .07 .13# -
4. Objectification of men 25 - +25 8.88 (9.90) .07 .07 .47*** -
5. Frequency of using Grindr 1–7 6.32 (1.10) .08 .04 .09 .11# -
6. Frequency of using Grindr to 1–5 3.18 (1.07) .04 .17* .17** .21*** .19*** -
find sex partners
7. Frequency of having 1–5 1.62 (0.96) .13* .01 .02 .04 .13* .29*** -
unprotected sex with partners
on Grindr
8. Frequency of finding sex 1–5 1.93 (0.99) .03 .11 .13* .05 .07 .15** .03 -
partners under the influence of
alcohol
9. Frequency of finding sex 1–5 1.30 (0.71) .01 .05 .11# .14* .18** .09 .08 .37*** -
partners under the influence of
drugs
10. Frequency of discussing HIV 1–5 3.06 (1.42) .09 .04 .12* .10# .19*** .19*** .17** .00 .06 -
status
11. Sexual orientation disclosure 0–100 71.37 (32.85) .11 .12# .12* .04 .03 .01 .14* .14* .07 .07

***p < .001, **p < .01, *p < .05, #p < .06; positive correlations with sexualized profile indicate a point-biserial correlation in which the individual in the
picture is topless. Correlations with Body focus are Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficients. All other coefficients are Pearson’s correlation coefficients.
Coded variables: body focus (1 = headshot, 2 = head and upper body, 3 = full body, 4 = body focus without head); sexualized (0 = non-sexualized, 1 = sex-
ualized). SOQ = Self-Objectification Questionnaire.

variables, and contrary to our predictions we found a an increased frequency of using Grindr, an increased
weak but significant relationship between greater body frequency of using Grindr to find sex partners, finding
focus and lesser frequency of unprotected sex with said partners under the influence of drugs, and a
partners found on Grindr (see Table 5). Body focus reduced frequency of discussing HIV status with part-
was unrelated to all other factors, including self- and ners prior to sexual activities, with the latter effect being
other-objectification scores (all ps > .213). marginally significant.

Sexualization. The analyses reported only include


Discussion
participants for whom a clothing code could be deter-
mined (i.e., n = 210). In line with our predictions, an
In this study, we aimed to explore how reported and vi-
analysis of the data revealed that individuals with a
sual objectification related to one another and impacted
sexualized profile picture were significantly higher in
Grindr usage, risky sexual behavior, and self-disclosure.
levels of self-objectification than individuals with a
Overall, we found mixed evidence for our hypotheses.
non-sexualized profile picture t(206) = 1.98, p = .049,
First, although we found the two visual objectification
Cohen’s d = 0.31. They were also significantly more
variables correlated with one another, as did reported
likely to use Grindr to find sex partners t(206) = 2.37,
self- and other-objectification scores, overall there was
p = .019, Cohen’s d = .37, but tended to be less likely
little relationship between reported and visual objectifi-
to find sex partners under the influence of alcohol
cation. Body focus did not significantly correlate with ei-
t(206) = 1.89, p = .060, Cohen’s d = .28. All other
ther self- or other-objectification, and sexualization
variables were unrelated to sexualization (all ps > .237).
only marginally correlated with SOQ scores.
Second, in terms of the relationship between objecti-
Reported Objectification fication and the behavioral measures, reported and vi-
Self-objectification. As shown in Table 5, and in line sual objectification were largely unrelated to frequency
with our prediction, self-objectification was associated of Grindr use overall. However, profile sexualization,
with increased frequency of using Grindr to find sex self-objectification, and other-objectification scores
partners, finding said partners under the influence of were associated with a greater frequency of using
alcohol, a reduced frequency of discussing HIV status Grindr to find sex partners. With regard to risky sexual
with partners, and greater disclosure of one’s sexual behaviors, we found limited support for our hypotheses.
orientation. Reported self- and other-objectification were correlated
with a number of risky behaviors; however, although
Other-objectification. Also in line with our predic- some relationships were in the predicted direction
tions, greater objectification of men was associated with (e.g., self-objectification positively correlating with

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Self- and other-objectification on Grindr J.R. Anderson et al.

frequency of finding sex partners under the influence of orientations not only promote an objectifying view of
alcohol), others were in the reverse direction from the potential mates, but also facilitate objectifying percep-
one we hypothesized (e.g., both self- and other- tions and presentations of the self.
objectification negatively correlating with frequency of Although objectification was related to short-term
finding sex partners under the influence of drugs). Fur- mating strategies on Grindr, such as using the app to
ther, the visual objectification measures were largely find sexual partners, we found little evidence that it
unrelated to risky behaviors. was related to unsafe sexual behaviors. We originally
Finally, although we did not have concrete predic- argued that, by virtue of facilitating a dehumanizing
tions regarding sexual orientation disclosure, we found view of the self or other (e.g., Loughnan et al.,
that it was positively associated with sexualization and 2010), objectification may be related to harmful sex
self-objectification, and that individuals not displaying practices. In other words, if a man views himself (or
their face in their profile picture disclose their sexual ori- a sexual partner) in an objectifying way, then he
entation less. Taken together, the findings provide some may be less likely to engage in sexual practices that
evidence that self- and other-objectification are related demonstrate concern for his own welfare (or the wel-
to increased Grindr usage and risky sexual behaviors. fare of his partner). However, overall we found little
However, they demonstrate much less of an association evidence to support this claim. Visual self-
between these behaviors and visual self-objectification objectification (i.e., profile picture sexualization and
in Grindr profiles. In particular, body focus was unre- body focus) was largely unrelated to such practices,
lated to the majority of variables tested, perhaps indica- and findings were mixed for reported objectification
tive of its purpose to conceal users’ identity rather than (e.g., correlating negatively with frequency of
to self-objectify. discussing HIV status, but also negatively with fre-
quency of finding sex partners under the influence
General Discussion of drugs). Overall, our findings suggest that although
viewing oneself and one’s partner as sexual objects fa-
Despite the increased popularity of online dating appli- cilitates using Grindr to find sexual partners, this does
cations on mobile phones, and their prevalence of use not translate into engaging in more risky behaviors.
among MSM, little is known about how MSM present Interestingly, as Study 3 revealed, there was little
themselves in such contexts, and how this relates to relationship between reported objectification scores
their objectification, mating goals, and sexual behav- (i.e., valuing bodily appearance over bodily compe-
iors. Based on the premise that Grindr use can be tence) and objectifying self-presentation (i.e., self-
driven by short-term mating goals, we tested a series sexualizing and emphasizing one’s body). As pre-
of objectification-relevant hypotheses across three dicted, the two reported measures of objectification
studies. In Study 1, we found a relationship between (self and other) correlated significantly with each
Grindr usage and other-objectification, whereby other (Strelan & Hargreaves, 2005), as did the two
Grindr users were more likely to objectify men com- self-presentation objectification measures. However,
pared to MSM not using Grindr. In Study 2, we ex- correlations between these measures were minimal,
plored how mating goals may relate to visual self- with the only marginally significant effect between
objectification. We demonstrated that Grindr users SOQ and self-sexualization. Given that the two self-
with a short-term mating strategy were more likely presentational strategies were visual forms of self-
to present themselves in a sexualized and body- objectification, we potentially anticipated a stronger
focused manner, and that Grindr users with a long- relationship with SOQ than other-objectification
term mating strategy (i.e., looking for a relationship) scores. However, overall the findings suggest that a
were less likely to do so. Finally, in Study 3, we found general tendency to view the self in a more objectify-
mixed support for predictions that visual and reported ing way does not necessarily lend itself to presenting
objectification were related to risky behaviors on the self in such a way in the specific context of Grindr
Grindr, and little evidence overall of a relationship be- profiles, at least for body focus. Indeed, it could well be
tween visual and reported objectification. that presenting oneself in a body-focused manner is
Across the studies, we found support for the claim more tied to non-disclosure of sexual orientation,
that viewing both the self and others in objectifying stemming from a desire to conceal one’s identity
ways is related to short-term mating goals among rather than from a tendency to self-objectify.
MSM on Grindr. Reported self- and other-
objectification scores were correlated with a higher fre- Limitations and Future Directions
quency of using the app to find sexual partners, ostensi-
bly a short-term mating strategy. Further, our content This article presents the first empirical exploration of ob-
analysis revealed that men who were looking for jectification within an online dating context and how
short-term relationships on Grindr were more likely to this affects the online presentation and behaviors of
present themselves in an objectifying way in their pro- MSM. However, these studies have some limitations
file picture (i.e., by self-sexualizing or placing an em- that warrant consideration when interpreting their
phasis on their body). Our findings extend on those by findings. These limitations largely come from the speci-
Confer et al. (2010), revealing that short-term mating ficities of the sample. For example, Grindr users

610 European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (2018) 600–613 Copyright ª 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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J.R. Anderson et al. Self- and other-objectification on Grindr

represent a specific subset of MSM, and thus might dif- presentation or how this relates to mating orientations.
fer from the wider gay population in specific ways. It has Given the increases in popularity of online dating apps,
been argued that Grindr users are particularly homoge- and their potential for facilitating short-term sexual en-
nous in terms of certain social categories, specifically, counters, it is imperative to understand how objectifica-
being disproportionately Caucasian, young, educated, tion and related behaviors occur in online settings. Apps
and stereotypically attractive (Zou & Fan, 2016). Given such as Grindr have the potential to be an important
the nature of the app, users are also more likely to be tool in the application of sexual health interventions
single, and those who are not can be assumed to be in and the education of safer-sex behaviors. For example,
an open relationship or to be concealing their use of Grindr recently added a menu element where people
the application from their partner. Although this might can disclose their HIV status (e.g., ‘negative’, ‘positive’,
limit the generalizability of the results to MSM as a and ‘undetectable’) and an information button next to
whole, it does increase the ecological validity of the it explaining what these categories mean and where
study. Similarly, the data presented in this article might people can have access to relevant information. We be-
differ from data collected on a different geosocial net- lieve that further research into the interplay of objectifi-
working application that is designed for a different sub- cation processes online with both risky and non-risky
culture of men who have sex with men. Scruff, for sexual behaviors is a vital step in how psychology can
example, is another application that is similar to Grindr, contribute to contemporary social issues surrounding
but is targeted to MSM who are typically older and hair- sexuality and sexual health.
ier. Our Grindr-based findings might not be generaliz-
able to all MSM, and thus our findings should be Acknowledgement
interpreted with a level of caution.
The reported objectification levels reported in these This research was supported by a Discovery grant from
studies might also have been amplified by the sexual na- the Australian Research Council (DP150103053).
ture of the application, resulting in contextual effects.
For example, previous research has demonstrated that References
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