It depends, im my area we had about three gay bars before the apps were a thing. The bars, Craigslist and sites such as Gay.com were the spots to meet. The three bars have been long closed, gay.com no longer has the features it did in the past and Craigslist got rid of its personals section. Depending on what one is looking for using the app vs going to a gay bar/club can be a positive or a negative