Goes to show that there is just as much foreigner slime on those dating sites as locals. My gf used to have a profile there when we first started dating (and so did I) and the stuff expats would send her was downright disgusting. My first helper here was contacted by an expat on DIA and went to Bohol 3 times. She held out for the 1st two trips and then put out on the 3rd go (she was a virgin). Came back crying because the expat broke it off with her as soon as he got what he was looking for. She was mad at me for that as well (because I used the site to hook up). I had to explain to her the dangers of online "dating" and that when I used the site I was actively seeking out the scumbag gold diggers for my one night stands/short lived relationships, which is why I completely ignored her profile and never hit on her while she was working for me. (I was pretty good at finding the types looking to take advantage of people....and if I accidentally did schedule a "date" with a "good girl" I wouldn't take advantage of them and I certainly didn't call them back.)

I suppose it is possible to find honest relationships on sites like DIA.....but you better not be the naive/gullible type that thinks with the wrong head. But even the "good girls" are likely looking for financial stability or being very superficial (if they were really interested only in finding a decent guy they would post their profile in both English and Bisaya/Tagalog). The girls here with good jobs/from rich families are much less likely to use those sites as they have a strong social structure.

 

Because finding and going on dates and then finding a person you are compatible with is tiresome the old fashioned way. Doing this online gives you access to many more people and the profiles (if done honestly....which usually doesn't happen) contain information on the person and their interests, what they are looking for in a partner and what the person considers "deal breakers". Online dating allows for people to weed out the personalities and body types (because humans are superficial lot and this does matter to every single one of us).

Also, while most foreigners can come here and find a date within the first two steps off the plane, it can be rather difficult for Filipino men to get dates (much the same as can be for us to find dates in our own country). There is actually a section on these dating sites where Filipino men are looking to partner up with Filipina (I promise ya, this does exist and these dating sites are not just for foreigners to find dates ).

I'm sure that you remember back in your day (maybe just after the invention of the wheel ) there was this thing called "pen pals". I'm not exactly sure how this worked but I imagine there were companies out there that helped people from different states/regions/countries meet, perhaps through advertisements in newspapers and magazines, and talk via these things called "letters" that were delivered through something called the "post office" (). I believe that internet dating is basically just a faster version of that.

 

Because none of that ever happens in real life?

I've had plenty of gf's that I met the "old fashioned" way.....just as likely to result in the things you mentioned above as finding one on the internet. (The internet didn't change any of that, it just shortened the time it took to get an actual date.)

Also, online dating did not replace "prefer a face to face meeting and courting". Meeting face-to-face and courting are something that happens after you agree to meet online. Online dating is more a replacement for what happened before you started meeting in person and "courting".....which I remember happened mainly through friends or family hooking you up with someone they knew.

 

Oh the stories I've heard in real life at the local pubs.
Do People Lie More On the Internet? - ABC News

A lot of people are just big ol' "liar liar pants on fire"s.