Themes in self-presentation on a gay male dating site: a content analysis of the profiles of a sample of online daters from the Eastern Cape Province

Lelimo, Thabang Lucky

Title: Themes in self-presentation on a gay male dating site: a content analysis of the profiles of a sample of online daters from the Eastern Cape Province
Creator: Lelimo, Thabang Lucky
Subject: Online dating -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Subject: Gay men -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Subject: Gay men -- Identity
Subject: Self-presentation
Subject: Homophobia -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Subject: Gay men -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Subject: Language and sex
Subject: Communication and sex
Date Issued: 2018
Date: 2018
Type: text
Type: Thesis
Type: Masters
Type: MA
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60233
Identifier: vital:27757
Description: My thesis research explores themes in self-presentation in the dating profiles of gay men from the Eastern Cape Province on an online dating site for men only. Although there is a growing body of research on this topic, this research is generally located in Europe and North America. In South Africa, research on same-sex intimacies has a chequered history. In the apartheid past, gay men and lesbian women were largely ignored by psychologists and social scientists. And, when they did receive their attention, it was largely discriminatory. In the post-apartheid context, there is far more interest in queer sexualities. However, as this research focuses on HIV transmission and on discrimination and violent homophobia, it too has played a role in painting a gloomy picture of what it means to be queer in South Africa. This study both address a ‘gap in literature’ on gay male dating online by focusing on the South African context, and it addresses the crisis of representation by giving consideration to the ways in which gay men see and present themselves to others. This study takes the form of a content analysis of 200 dating profiles. Key themes in self-presentation emerging in the analysis are: Ethnicity; Age; Education; Geographic Location; Living Arrangements; Sexuality; Relationship Status; Lifestyle; Appearance; Political Outlook; Personality; Faith. I discuss important observations relating to these themes and the insights they provide on key issues shaping public debate on same-sex sexualities in the South African context.
Format: 79 pages
Format: pdf
Publisher: Rhodes University
Publisher: Faculty of Humanities, Psychology
Language: English
Rights: Lelimo, Thabang Lucky

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