via dataviz.tumblr.com. If China has 400 million internet users, the graph says that 35% use the web for dating. If the US has 230 million internet users, the graph says that 17% of Americans use the web for dating.

One of the surprising aspects of youth culture in China is the widespread use of the internet as a tool to introduce people to new friends. While in America, extending a Facebook friendvitation usually occurs after having known the person for at least a little while, in China, social networks extend much farther than they do in America. You might never have met a person in real life, nor met any of their friends before, but something about their profile makes you want to be friends.

From my limited experience with young Chinese college students and graduates, this looser and more trusting web community makes internet romantic connections much more likely. After a few days talking online, people meet, and do their thing. What would be considered kind of creepy and questionable to their American counterparts is less risque.

Note: I originally titled this post “Online Chinese Dating Style.” I’ve been in China for too long.