title: That Man Behind the Curtain: Investigating the Sexual Online Dating Behavior of Men Who Have Sex With Men but Hide Their Same-Sex Sexual Attraction in Offline Surroundings.
abstract: This study investigates how men who have sex with men (MSM) use chat and dating sites based on theories of stigma-related offline behavior and online self-disclosure. We hypothesize that hidden MSM (those who self-label as heterosexual or who hide their same-sex sexual attraction from family, friends, acquaintances, or a female romantic partner) differ from open MSM in how they behave on gay chat and dating sites and in offline gay venues. Drawing on a survey of 12,002 MSM, we show that hidden MSM tend to mask their identity on gay chat and dating sites while avoiding offline gay venues. They also focus more strongly on online sexual activities (e.g., masturbating during online chats) when using gay chat and dating sites. However, they spend the same amount of time on these sites, and they use them to initiate offline sexual encounters as often and as fast as open MSM.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Communication , Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz , Mainz , Germany.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lemke
authors.affiliation: a Department of Communication , Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz , Mainz , Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Concealment; Internet sexuality; online dating; online disinhibition; self-disclosure; sexual venues; social networking sites; stigma management