But 10 million downloads and a growing number of mentions in the press, in films and on television show that its importance is much greater than the sum of hookups it has facilitated.

While on Google Play and the Apple App Store, Grindr is described as a social network for chatting, socializing and meeting gay, bi- and -curious guys, it’s best known as a shameless hookup app. Grindr, a location-based dating networking application for men, celebrated its fifth anniversary this spring with a colorful party in Los Angeles. This article was originally published June 26, 2014