| Abstract: | Mobile dating applications (MDAs), such as Momo and Tinder, allow mobile phone owners to meet potential mates through social media, thus contributing to the radicalization of Chinese attitudes toward sex. Although these applications may gratify the needs of users for love and sex, the potential of risk is often overlooked. However, it should be considered in their decision regarding whether to meet a stranger or not. This study investigated the motivations and risks involved in the use of MDAs to meet strangers and the outcomes of using this technology. The results showed that sexuality was the only predictor of the reasons that people use MDAs to meet people offline for dates and casual sex. Among the perceived risks of mobile dating, only the fear of self-exposure to friends, professional networks, and the community significantly explained why users would not meet people offline for casual sex. |
