Panel discussion: Mediated Masculinities

Gay and queer subjectivities in the 21st century seem to be medialized from the start: the self-representation on dating apps and the self-fashioning on social medias determine our self-image and the image that we have from others. The critic adressed at this form of self-representation and at these ways of communication which come along is obvious: aren’t these media practices leading to a kind of normalizing and alienating way of approach?

Tom Roach pursue another track in his book Screen Love: Queer Intimacies in the Grindr Era. Could it be possible that new opportunities of being together precisely lie in “impersonal” interactions? Jamie Hakim and James Cummings have pursued the questions of gay sex communication and culture in the social context of Great Britain rather empirically: What does dating culture look like at the beginning of the 3rd decade of the 21st century? How much frustration or happiness does making contact through apps bring? And what role does chemsex play in this world of mediated masculinities?

Moderation: Peter Rehberg (SMU). The event will be held in English spoken language. Entry: 4€