"In the mid-to-late 2010s, as dating apps moved from the fringe to widespread public adoption, a slew of articles appeared advancing what is now a well-established critique of apps like Grindr and Scruff. A few of the many include the Guardian’s 2015 Op-Ed “Goodbye to all the gay bars,” Vox’s 2018 article “We need to talk about how Grindr is affecting gay men’s mental health,” and Michael Hobbes’ viral 2017 piece, “The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness,” for the Huffington Post. Articles of this nature tended to blame apps for intensifying, if not causing, a broader crisis in gay men’s mental health, promoting loneliness, alienation, and materialism. This gripe wasn’t unique to media commentators; the same concerns were echoed by reluctant app users themselves."