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Abstract
Internet relationships, particularly those involving ‘Asian’ women and ‘Western’ men, are typically depicted as problematic. This article explores online intimacy between Filipino women and non-Filipino Australian men. It seeks to extend our awareness of the different ways intimacy is understood, measured and materialized online. In exploring how intimacy takes place online and is interpreted by people who may have different emotional repertoires and expectations about what constitutes intimacy, love and romance, the article engages with authenticity, gender performance and the development online of cathexis – trust, intimacy and love – across national and cultural boundaries and offline. In the process, it challenges popular myths about Filipino women, their non-Filipino partners and online relationships in general. The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork which entailed interviews and participant observation in the Philippines and Australia and on the Internet with Filipino–Australian couples who met each other through some form of Internet technology. It also draws on the author's ethnographic research on Kasal, an online moderated forum that explores ‘Fil–West’ relationships. She highlights how participants use the Internet for relationship negotiation in ways that are meaningful to them.
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Cleonicki Saroca
Dr Cleonicki Saroca is currently an Independent Scholar, but was Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, University of the Philippines, Diliman, at the time of submitting this paper. She is based in New South Wales, Australia. E-mail: [email protected].