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Résumé Ces dernières années, les rencontres en ligne sont devenues de plus en plus populaires et répandues dans le monde entier, modifiant la façon dont les gens abordent de potentiels nouveaux partenaires sexuels ou romantiques. Le présent document vise à offrir un aperçu de la recherche récente sur les applications mobiles de rencontres comme un moyen de trouver des partenaires sexuels, en se concentrant en particulier sur les applications mobiles de réseautage géosocial. Le profil sociodémographique des utilisateurs d’applications sera présenté, tel qu’il ressort des études, ainsi que les tendances d’utilisation des applications, les variables impliquées dans la création d’un profil pour les applications de rencontres et les résultats de l’utilisation des applications en termes de rencontres sexuelles. Le profil moyen d’un utilisateur d’application est celui d’un homme blanc ayant des relations sexuelles avec d’autres hommes (HSH), âgé de 25 à 35, ayant un niveau de scolarité élevé et un revenu monétaire élevé, qui a souvent des comportements sexuels à risque (rapports sexuels anaux non protégés, usage de drogues ou d’alcool pendant les rapports sexuels). Les études sur le terrain souffrent de plusieurs limites, notamment le manque de données de recherche sur les caractéristiques psychologiques des utilisateurs d’applications, ainsi que la rareté des études sur les résultats sexuels et relationnels positifs de l’utilisation des applications ; enfin, un nombre limité d’études a exploré l’utilisation des applications dans la population LGBTQIA dans son ensemble, ainsi que chez les hétérosexuels. Summary In recent years, online dating has become increasingly popular and widespread worldwide, changing the way people approach potential new sexual or romantic partners. The current paper aims to offer an overview of recent research on mobile dating apps as a way to find sexual partners, focusing in particular on geosocial-networking mobile applications. The sociodemographic profile of app users as it emerges from studies will be outlined, as well as app-use patterns, the variables involved in creating a profile for dating apps, and the outcomes of app use in terms of sexual encounters. The average app user profile is that of a white man having sex with men (HSH), between 25 and 35 years of age, with high education and income, who has a large number of sexual encounters and often engages in risky behavior (e.g., unprotected anal intercourse, drug or alcohol use during sex). Studies in the field suffer from several limitations, including a lack of research data on the psychological characteristics of app users, as well as the paucity of studies on the positive sexual and relational outcomes of app use; finally, few studies explored app use in the LGBTQIA population as a whole, in addition to heterosexuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary In recent years, online dating has become increasingly popular and widespread worldwide, changing the way people approach potential new sexual or romantic partners. The current paper aims to offer an overview of recent research on mobile dating apps as a way to find sexual partners, focusing in particular on geosocial-networking mobile applications. The sociodemographic profile of app users as it emerges from studies will be outlined, as well as app-use patterns, the variables involved in creating a profile for dating apps, and the outcomes of app use in terms of sexual encounters. The average app user profile is that of a white man having sex with men (MSM), between 25 and 35 years of age, with high education and income, who has a large number of sexual encounters and often engages in risky behavior (e.g., unprotected anal intercourse, drug or alcohol use during sex). Studies in the field suffer from several limitations, including a lack of research data on the psychological characteristics of app users, as well as the paucity of studies on the positive sexual and relational outcomes of app use; finally, few studies explored app use in the LGBTQIA population as a whole, in addition to heterosexuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]