Love in the digital age: Filipino gay men’s online app use and perspectives on romance in a shifting socio-cultural landscape

• Main Author: Luna, Mia Franchesca Maldia
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Gay men > Philippines; Computer programs; Heterosexism; Gay community > Philippines; Film and Media Studies
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_comm/11; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_comm/article/1011/viewcontent/2023_Luna_Love_in_the_Digital_Age__Filipino_Gay_Men_s_Online_App_Use_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This thesis explored the interplay between social experiences vis-à-vis technological affordances of online apps and the perspectives of young Filipino gay men regarding digitally mediated romantic relationships. Using in-depth interviews with young gay millennials residing in Metro Manila, this research found that an intersection of societal forces–participants' backgrounds and key influences to their romantic ideas–were crucial to how the participants navigated online romance. The research found that participants navigated contemporary Philippine society by incorporating both traditional and progressive ideas to their views on romance. Meanwhile, key features of online apps–including the expansion of romantic network, geolocation, algorithmic matching, and platform-specific features–paved the way for the participants to enact inventive and novel approaches to online romance. On one hand, online apps expanded and transformed modern dating–introducing new ways to enact romance. On the other hand, despite the highly sexualized dating scene and increasing liberated ideas, participants continued to uphold traditional romantic values like long-term relationships and monogamy. For Filipino gay men in this research, the seemingly endless romantic possibilities through online apps introduced new ways to enact romance but also maintained their desire for a long-term monogamous relationship.