Abstract
Dating apps are not just for hookups but both portals to an exciting virtual world of relational possibilities and sites of power dynamics that reflect the heteronormativity and patriarchy of Chinese society. In this paper, I explain “networked sexual publics” as a theoretical concept to capture the gender and queer politics of dating app culture. I specifically explain two out of five features of “networked sexual publics.” First, dating apps are a site for resistance and dominance. I will illustrate how straight women and the queer communities make use of the various affordances of dating apps to resist patriarchy and heteronormativity, while the latter forces also re-claim their territory. Second, the meanings that dating app users attach to the apps cannot be reduced to psychological motives. With concrete examples, I explain how sex-seeking carries different social meanings to users of different gender and sexual orientation. Through explaining the concept “networked sexual publics,” I map our possible paths for future intersectional, queer, and feminist scholarship on emerging communication technologies.
https://ror.org/00t33hh48 
