If its true that boys will be boys, then it’s likely that boys with Grindr will be bad boys.
In fact, we couldn’t get any of them to speak on the record. Not even the guy who told us he used the app to keep track of his friends and see who was new in town – not to hookup.
Why so secretive if there’s nothing scandalous going on? Your guess is as good as ours.
Grindr is a new social networking/dating application growing in popularity in Middle Tennessee. It’s also an easy way for gay men to find casual sex – especially if they’re attractive or, perhaps, in a traffic jam.
The free service works with the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch and connects users in seconds offering profiles, photos and stats.
Grindr melds the seediness of popular hookup-site Manhunt with the crisp with the user-friendly design of social networking site Facebook.
Throw in a location service that can pinpoint the exact location of other Grindr guys and you’ve got a hand-held hookup device.
“Grindr is the next generation of social networking—it’s about location, location, location,” said creator Joel Simkhai.
The app targets gay, bi and curious men and so far has more than 200,000 users. A similar application is said to be in production for heterosexuals.
Simkhai said men-seeking-men are trailblazers in technology and online dating. They were the first to fill chat rooms on AOL and some of the earliest adopters of MySpace and Facebook. Grindr, therefore, is the next evolutionary step in the world of social networking.
“Grindr takes meeting people to the next level,” Simkhai said. “If you want to hang out with a guy who’s right around the corner, Grindr is the app that makes it possible.”
Once the app is downloaded and launched, local men looking to ‘meet up’ appear. The service provides up to 100 profiles for non-paying users and 200 hundred ad-free profiles for users who pay a monthly fee.
Detailed info about a chosen guy is available in seconds, as are instant messages, additional photos and his map location. There is no complicated registration process or account setup and users can share as much or as little info as they wish.
Simkhai could not be reached for comment, but has reportedly told other media outlets that Grindr is more than a tool for finding casual sex and that he expects the application to grow and evolve into a tool for procuring long term love interests - a noble service, indeed.