KultureKritic.com
By April V Taylor
Posted July 21st 2015
Hookup dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr have made it extremely simple and easy for men and women to find someone to casually hookup with, making it almost as easy as checking email. A new study is being used to blame a recent rise in STD infection rates on these hookup dating apps.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV spokesman Peter Greenhouse said, “Thanks to Grindr or Tinder, you can acquire chlamydia in five minutes.” The CDC reports that syphilis in the United States, “remains a major health problem, with increased cases occurring among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.”
Greenhouse and others are pointing to a study published by the journal “Sexually Transmitted Infections,’ that shows that gay men who use apps with geographic networking, much like Grindr and Tindr, have a greater chance of testing positive for gonorrhea and chlamydia compared to men who use other websites or bars to pick up dates.
A different study conducted in New Zealand in 2012 found that Grindr may have been to blame for the rise in syphilis cases during that year. A 2013 New York University study found that Craigslist was the culprit for a 16 percent increase in HIV cases across 33 states between 1999 and 2008. Additional studies show that the overall STD infection rates are higher for Blacks, Hispanics and young adults.
For those who are skeptical as to whether or not online hookup dating apps are to blame for the rise in cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV, a study conducted by the Los Angeles LGBT Center between 2011 and 2013 may provide more proof. Of those who were tested, those who participated in casual sex through online dating apps had a 25 percent greater incidence of gonorrhea and a 37 percent higher incidence of chlamydia compared to those who met in bars, clubs, at the gym or on the street.
As the study published in Sexually Transmitted Infections sums up, “[These sites] boost the chances of anonymous riskier encounters and getting a sexually transmitted infection.” Researcher and epidemiologist Matt Beymer points out, “As technology has benefits, it also has certain risks.”