Paper short abstract:

Based on two studies exploring the experiences of MSM in France through digital methods, including apps like Grindr, this contribution addresses challenges faced by researchers navigating a field influenced by a "sexual script." It examines tensions between research and sexual scripts.

Paper long abstract:

This contribution, based on two studies exploring the life experiences of men who have sex and emotional relationships with men (MSM) in France, examines the challenges faced by researchers using digital methods. The studies focus specifically on MSM in housing estates and metropolitan/rural environments, and use location-based dating apps such as Grindr and Scruff. These applications enable immediate encounters due to spatial proximity, and offer details of both sexual practices and morphological attributes. The digital connections established often evolve into diverse types of relationships.

The research addresses a multi-sited research field shaped by a ‘sexual script’ specific to online dating technologies. The presentation explores how researchers, using both ‘researcher’ and ‘personal’ profiles, navigate the digital space, answering questions about their social positions and legitimacy. The tension between the research script and the 'sexual script' reintroduces researchers to hierarchies of eroticism and desirability, impacting power relationships between the interviewer and the respondent, both online and offline.

Furthermore, the spatial and social context (housing estates, urban, and rural areas) shapes researchers’ experiences, challenging their social assignments in terms of sexual orientation and race. The diversity of subjects highlights the ethnographer’s ambiguities in the field, prompting a reflection on proximity-distance relationships that shape intersections between researchers and respondents. Comparing these studies contributes to the discourse on digital ethnographic approaches in urban and sexuality studies, emphasizing the researchers’ nuanced navigation within these distinct studies.