Swipe Culture & Women’s Health: Exploring Current Themes in Dating App Research

"Dating apps are revolutionizing how we approach intimacy and digital communication, which has implications for our mental and sexual health. As a researcher, writer, and activist working in the digital health and sexuality space, launching this Special Collection is a passion project that has the potential to help us radically rethink women's health and the role that swipe culture plays in our lives." - Dr Treena Orchard, Guest Editor of the Special Collection In this seminar, I review the key perspectives adopted in contemporary dating app research that explores how these platforms are impacting women's lives, especially their relationships. I then dive deeper into the literature about health, which focuses mainly on mental health to the exclusion of other issues that directly shape women's well-being and orientation to the world. This includes intersections between dating app use and women’s physical, mental, and sexual health across the lifespan, and the positive or therapeutic aspects of women’s dating app use. Next, I provide a detailed overview of our special collection, which seeks to showcase innovative research and interdisciplinary perspectives on dating apps and women's health. We are especially interested in papers that critically examine the complexities of swipe culture, including its risks and benefits, and how these experiences are shaped by intersecting social, cultural, and technological factors. We are especially interested in research that highlights the work of scholars and/or research spaces from the Global South.