Virtual Intimacies / by CHEN Lap Yan

**Swipe Right, Match, Chat—** **Redefining Connection for Millions, Regardless of Gender or Orientation** **Gender × Technology × Queer** **Exploring the Multifaceted Dimensions of Intimacy in the Digital Age** **Facing risks like sexual harassment, scams, and forced coming out—despite the challenges encountered on these apps,** **people still seek a community that shares their gender, orientation, hopes, and struggles.** Beyond stigmatizing labels, dating apps have long transcended their basic functions of casual dating and hookups, transforming into spaces for "networked sexual publics." They have shaped the diverse landscape of contemporary intimate relationships. While straight women gain sexual autonomy, straight men are shedding the constraints of traditional masculinity. Queer men find themselves caught in the emotional push-and-pull of repeatedly installing and uninstalling apps, while queer women build circles of belonging through community connections. But can these apps truly empower marginalized genders and sexualities? And does a so-called queer utopia exist in the digital space? Focusing on dating apps like Momo, Blued, and The One, this book interviews 69 Chinese users of diverse genders and sexual orientations. The author uniquely blends perspectives from gender, technology, and queer studies to reveal how dating apps both challenge and reinforce existing patriarchal and heteronormative social norms. It presents a multi-dimensional reconstruction of contemporary Chinese intimate relationships, gender order, and public life by emerging technologies. Full Title: Virtual Intimacies: Gender and Queer Politics in the Age of Dating Apps Author: CHEN, Lap Yan. Translated by WAN, Chi Kwan ISBN: 978-988-237-356-3 Binding: Paperback Language: Traditional Chinese Pages: 212 Dimensions: 229 x 152 x 19 mm **About the Author** **CHEN Lap Yan** Lecturer in Digital Culture at the University of Sydney and Visiting Associate Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is currently the Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Interest Group of the International Communication Association and an Associate Editor for two international journals (Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and Personal Relationships). His research focuses on the connections between digital platforms, sexuality, gender, and culture. He is currently conducting research projects on global dating app cultures and LGBTQ social media usage. **About the Translator** **WAN Chi Kwan** Master of Arts in Literary Translation from the University of Edinburgh, UK. Her major translations include "East Meets West: Early Western Books on China in the Library of The Chinese University of Hong Kong," "Revolution in the Margins: The Origins of the CCP's Nationality Policy (1921–1945)," "C.T. Hsia on Chinese Literature," and "The Dark Gate: Studies on the Chinese Left-Wing Literary Movement." **Endorsements** This book argues that dating apps not only provide greater autonomy and agency for women and sexual minorities but also prompt us to re-examine the construction of intimate relationships and the fluidity of gender politics. —**FUNG Ying-him**, Professor of Journalism and Communication and Dean of the Faculty of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Virtual intimacies are a ubiquitous experience in contemporary urban life, where online emotional experiments both reflect and construct offline power dynamics. This book's detailed analysis of four types of "networked sexual publics" paints a macro picture of contemporary Chinese gender and queer politics. —**KAM Yee-ling**, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Creative Writing, Hong Kong Baptist University This book keenly captures how technology shapes differentiated intimate practices across various sexual orientations and offers novel analytical pathways for the sociology of technology, gender studies, and queer theory. —**PEI Yu-hsin**, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Sun Yat-sen University