Lot's Wife Edition 1 2017

Public Health: The Effect of Dating Apps on STI Rates Among University Students
edition one
It’s a typical Friday night. You’re browsing aimlessly
through the selection that Tinder has to offer. Left. Right.
Left. Left. Ew, definitely left. Right. Right – it’s a match!
And so on. You scroll through your messages which range
from the basic - hey baby/what’s up/I love ur eyes – to
the more complex and witty (cheesy or otherwise) – you
know what’s beautiful? Read the first word/Can I follow
you? Cause my mum told me to follow my dreams.
Some you reply to, some you don’t. And eventually
you arrange to meet up with a handful. All these new
relationships you have made, no matter how long or
short they last all began by a simple swipe on your
phone. But do you ever wonder that in swiping right to
a potential hot hook-up, you’ve just swiped right to a
potential STI? In an age where meeting new people and
making connections is as easy as clicking “accept” on a
friend request or swiping right on hot singles in your
area, it is a given that dating and hooking up has been made so much
easier and accessible. But with the rise in using dating apps such as
Tinder, Happn, Bumble, Grindr, concern for an increase in the rates of
STIs has risen too.
Sex and the internet are both prone to risk and uncertainty, and
thus the combinations of both in the use of mobile phone apps for
sexual hook-ups or dating have been brought to the attention of
sexual health researchers and promotors. One long-time sexual health
campaigner, Dr Wendell Rosevear, has voiced his concern that people
have jumped on internet dating and apps, to have frequent and often
anonymous encounters, all more instant and accessible than before. Dr
Rosevear expresses concern that this rise in sexual activity is directly
correlated with the rise in STIs in his patients – some of which have
sex with up to 10 people a day – and in the broader population of
Australia. According to the 2015 Annual Surveillance Report of HIV
viral hepatitis and STIs, there has been a rise in new diagnoses of STIs
in Australia (including chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea) totaling
122,258 new cases in 2014, the highest rates of infection found in
groups aged 20-29. This was almost a rise in 10,000 new cases annually
from 2012 (when Tinder was released).
Of course, that’s not to say that using dating apps are a one way trip
to gonorrhea city, but it is important to proceed with caution. As with
any sexual partner, no matter if you found them through a mutual
friend, dating app or off a street corner, communication is essential in
order to eliminate any uncertainty or anything that could potentially
affect your sexual health. No matter if you have one, three or an
entire harem of sexual encounters and partners, make sure to always
communicate with your partner. Ask about their sexual history, tell
them about yours, no matter how awkward a conversation about STIs
with a potential partner is, contracting an STI is far worse. And always
remember to practice safe sex – use condoms, dental dams or any
other form of barrier methods! Even if other contraceptives are used,
only barriers such as condoms protect against STIs, and remember
that some STIs can be contracted orally, not just through penetrative
sex (sorry to sound like your sexual health teacher from the seventh
grade).
The take away from this article is not to scare you away and boycott
all dating apps and technologies forever, they’re a fun, innovative and
easy way to meet, chat to and screen through potential partners. Just
be careful, have fun and continue swiping.
lot’s wife
article by joanne fong, illustration by caitlyn harris