Digital love: Facebook is the new wingman

by Camille Banzon

Facebook reigns online love mighty (Quartz: http://qz.com/176719/the-surprising-leader-in-online-dating-apps-across-emerging-markets)/

It’s not so strange anymore when people stumble upon one another in the cyber world and get attracted to each other. After all, just about everyone is on Facebook these days. In the US alone, the online dating industry pulls in an estimated $1.25 billion a year.

In the Philippines, the industry isn’t quite that large yet, but some facts about our online dating habits are still notable. Quartz released an infographic based on a survey conducted by Jana on online dating platforms. According to report, 70 percent of Filipinos prefer Facebook among 5 to 13 choices of online dating platforms. Close to a third of respondents choose Twitter, while 18 percent go for Match.com.

 

 

Not too surprising, since Filipinos do spend a lot of time on Facebook — whether it’s liking every post made by that significant other, waiting for that green dot to appear beside their crush’s name, or sending YouTube links of love songs to supplement the romance. Just read this awww-worthy online dating success story we published recently, and see where the internet took this couple.

 

In the same report, 40 percent of online users in the Philippines also admitted to having dated someone they met online. Based on responses from other countries, it seems that Facebook indeed is the new wingman.