Shoppers are turning to data , and so are researchers , to understand how gay and bisexual men label sexual roles on dating apps; a new global analysis shows who claims Top, Bottom or Versatile, where those labels cluster, and why context and age still shape what people share.

Essential Takeaways

  • Large sample: Researchers analysed profile data from 141,156 active users on the Surge app, revealing clear patterns by age and region.
  • Younger users disclose more: Younger men were likelier to name a role , especially Bottom or Versatile , while older users more often identified as Top or omitted a role.
  • Regional flavour: Versatile was most common in Europe and Oceania; Bottom was more commonly claimed in the Americas and Africa.
  • Labels as identity, not just sex: Role tags function socially , carrying stigma, assumptions about gender, and cues about group membership.
  • Platform effects matter: App design and local sexual cultures influence whether people disclose roles and which labels feel safe to use.

Why this study matters , a vivid snapshot from dating profiles

Dating apps are noisy but revealing places: profile photos, bios and a handful of badges say a lot about how people want to be seen. According to the study published in The Journal of Sex Research, analysing 141,156 Surge profiles gives a practical, large-scale window into how men who have sex with men use role labels. The pattern that jumps out is sensory and social , you can almost feel the generational shift, with younger profiles more likely to be specific and flexible about roles. This matters because it helps us see identity as performative and situational, not just fixed behaviour.

Age differences , are younger people really ditching labels?

You might have heard that younger generations reject labels. The new research complicates that story: younger users were more likely to state a sexual role and tended toward Bottom or Versatile, while older users more often selected Top or left the field blank. According to the authors, this is less about wholesale rejection and more about strategic self-presentation , labels coexist with non-labelling as parallel strategies. So when you see a succinct tag on a profile, know that it can mean preference, identity, theatre, or a bit of all three.

Geography counts , how local culture shapes disclosure

Not all regions behave the same. The paper notes Versatile dominates Europe and Oceania, Bottom appears more in the Americas and Africa, and Europeans and Asians were more likely to specify a role than users in the Americas or Africa. That pattern echoes broader findings in sexuality research showing stigma, legal contexts and local sexual cultures influence what people will put on display. In short, whether someone clicks a role in an app is as much about place as it is about person.

Labels do social work , stigma, gender assumptions and group signalling

The study emphasises that Top/Bottom/Versatile are more than sexual shorthand; they're social badges. They can carry stigma, signal conformity or difference, and feed assumptions about masculinity or femininity. That helps explain why some people avoid labels even if they accurately describe their behaviour, while others adopt labels that don't fully reflect their desires. For anyone using dating apps, the takeaway is to treat role tags as cues, not gospel: they're useful starting points, but context and conversation do the rest.

Apps as cultural microscopes , what platform data can and can't tell us

Large-scale app data like Surge's offers scale and immediacy, letting researchers spot global trends not visible in small surveys. The authors note, though, that such data can't reveal motives behind choices or the private reasons someone avoids a label. App interface, local norms and platform subcultures all shape what users disclose, so designers and researchers should be mindful about how fields and badges nudge self-presentation. Practically, that means dating apps could rethink how they offer labels , make them optional, contextual, or fluid , and users should know these choices are partly shaped by the platform itself.

Closing line It's a small change in a profile that can signal a lot , read role labels as living, local and strategic, and let conversation fill in the gaps.

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