Grievances of Grindr

Grindr is one of the most laughable, most used, most questionable and, most importantly, one of the most iconic keystones of gay culture in the west. The app is centered around making contact and communication more accessible to users that happen to be in a similar geographic area. In common terms, if you're a fine young lad looking to chat or find some form of companionship, Grindr is one of the best tools to help you link up with someone with just the same interests. However since the app's popularization has soared in recent years, it has been judged to be a cesspool of STDs, superficiality, and a threat to privacy among many other fragrant claims.

Ever since the ripe age of 18, I have been using this app for many years and can honestly say that many of the negative claims against the application can be verified true to some extent. However, I would be lying if I said Grindr wasn't responsible for both some great nights and some sincere, genuine connections with local people. Within its theoretical walls, Grindr has tons of pitfalls and treasure chests alike. Aside from the immediate obvious risks of STDs or possible hostile interactions with strangers, Grindr has a couple of other negative side effects that new users and even some veterans such as myself tend to not be aware of which is just the thing this article will be talking about today.

Negative Body Image & Rejection

Users of Grindr are fairly upfront about what they want. In most cases, this streamlines anything you want to do on the app, but just as it makes communication quicker, it can deliver that hot dish of rejection quicker than you've ever experienced in the worst way.

No reply after receiving your pictures? Suddenly vanishing after a risky reply? Perhaps the rare "No thanks, I'm not interested,"? Rejection on Grindr is bitter and tends to cut deep and quick. After a few bad runs, it is exceedingly easy to feel bad about yourself and how you look.

The important thing for users is to know that any failed interaction on this app isn't a true indicator of your worth or attractiveness. Remember that you are smoking hot and attractive in your own way; you just happened to talk to a few bad people on the internet. It literally happens to the best of us.

Ignored Messages & Ghosting

Like any other time you're trying to connect with someone, not getting a reply at all is the most headache inducing trial you can go through. Communication on Grindr generally can take this headache and multiply it ten fold. However, it's not personal. Usually it never is on Grindr.

Maybe he lost interest for some stupid, fickle reason. Maybe he got a better catch somewhere else. Or perhaps his phone died or an obligation came up. Regardless of the case, its not uncommon for someone on Grindr to cut communication off completely without giving any inkling of reason.

Its annoying and sometimes really disappointing. If you're new to Grindr, know that its not personal and it shouldn't get you down. You're still a catch in your own right, you just happened to hit a dead end. Pull yourself out of the bad trip and start chatting with someone else.

Flooded Mailboxes & Spam

On the other end of the spectrum, there's always the chance you speak to someone whose just a little bit too excited to talk to you. Either they're pushing their own agenda or just impatiently want an immediate reply, its not uncommon for a guy to make his replies both numerous and immediate no matter how annoying it can seem.

As a person who likes to keep things relaxed, casual and respectable, I can say that this might be the worst out of the bunch when someone just doesn't know how to take the hint to back off.

The best way to approach this is to tell him to ease off the throttle or hint that you're busy with something at the moment. If those fail, the reliable block button is always there if you're in need of silencing that annoying itch.

Going Forward

Grindr can be such a great tool for people exploring different sexualities but like any other dating or hookup app, it can leave you frustrated and defeated. If you're pushing into the world of Grindr or electronic dating, I encourage you to take things slowly and comfortably. Be honest and direct with your communication and, most importantly, be kind to yourself because the electronic world can be unforgiving and hard on all of us out there.