Over the past decade, specialized social networking applications have become a cornerstone of life for many gay men in China. This paper employs a longitudinal mixed-methods approach to investigate how Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM) have shifted their attitudes toward these platforms between approximately 2013 and 2023. Drawing on archival analysis of online discourses, a quantitative survey of 412 participants, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 participants, we trace the complex trajectory of this evolution. Our findings reveal a clear pattern: from the initial embrace of these applications as revolutionary tools for community building and identity affirmation (2014--2017), to a period of growing ambivalence and critique centered on commercialization, ``hookup culture,'' and multiple forms of discrimination (2017--2020), and finally to the present era (2020--2023), characterized by pragmatic, fragmented, yet simultaneously critical and reconstructive uses. Today, users strategically employ a repertoire of applications -- including global platforms (e.g., Grindr and Tinder), domestic mainstream platforms (e.g., Blued), and niche alternatives (e.g., Aloha) -- to fulfill differentiated needs. We develop a detailed temporal framework to capture this attitudinal evolution and discuss its design implications for creating more supportive, secure, and community-oriented digital environments for marginalized groups.

翻译：过去十年间，专业社交网络应用已成为中国许多男同性恋者生活的基石。本文采用纵向混合方法，研究了中国男男性行为者（MSM）在2013年至2023年间对这些平台态度的转变。通过在线话语的档案分析、对412名参与者的定量调查，以及对32名参与者的深度半结构化访谈，我们追溯了这一演变的复杂轨迹。研究发现揭示了一个清晰的模式：从最初将这些应用视为社区建设和身份认同的革命性工具（2014-2017年），到逐渐产生矛盾心理和批判的时期，焦点集中在商业化、“约炮文化”及多种形式的歧视上（2017-2020年），最终进入当前阶段（2020-2023年），其特征表现为实用化、碎片化，同时兼具批判性与重构性的使用方式。如今，用户策略性地运用一系列应用——包括全球平台（如Grindr和Tinder）、国内主流平台（如Blued）以及小众替代平台（如Aloha）——以满足差异化需求。我们构建了一个详细的时间框架来捕捉这种态度演变，并讨论了其设计意义，旨在为边缘群体创建更具支持性、安全性及社区导向的数字环境。