“People under that age range usually laugh, and some send back.” Some will try and act like they understand it, but I doubt it,” McCarthy says. “If they’re older than 35, usually confused. Not all users respond well to seeing memes when what they really want is to see is bussy. We’ve covered transwomen trolling masc men through audio messages, and this feels like the next wave: meme enthusiasts like McCarthy rejecting the transactional nature of the app - instead, sending strangers a photo of plush Kermit the Frog spreading his ass open. It may be an app best known for sex negotiations and a dating culture drenched in transmisogyny and heteronormative masc4masc scenes, but Grindr has turned into an underground hub for some of the best digital shitposting. “They’re wrong, and they need a sense of humor,” he tells me. McCarthy doesn’t entertain their confused inquiries over his sexual shitposting, though.
His boss and the bar patrons often ask why he sent them memes - and not nudes - on Grindr. McCarthy’s artistry isn’t always appreciated. When there’s a filter on the unsolicited dick, he sends a photo of Simon Cowell saying, “It’s a no from me.” When the anon guy who tapped you first won’t respond to his “hey,” he sends the girl from Finding Nemo knocking on the fish tank. When he’s not looking to hook up on Grindr, English bartender Harry McCarthy, 20, is using the app to send a barrage of memes to his boss or other gays at his pub.
