Online 'boyfriend loyalty test' a profitable affair

A Chinese mobile phone user uses the messaging app Weixin, or WeChat, of Tencent on his smartphone in Jinan city, east China's Shandong province.10 July 2014. [Photo/IC]

The company offering a "boyfriend loyalty test", which proved poplar with many Chinese women, was recently suspended because of the conflicts it provoked among couples. Women could pay 100 yuan ($16) or less for an "attractive" female staff member to chat online with her boyfriend and see if he was willing to be "seduced". Comments:

Given people's different ideas about love and marriage, those who feel less secure in a romantic relationship may be more sensitive to latent risks. The profit-driven loyalty test service, which exploited a rarely noticed business opportunity, should be seen as nothing but an active response to the current nature of relationships.

dbw.cn, Feb 12

For those resorting to ill-considered entrapment for a loyalty test of their lovers, maybe they should ask themselves whether they could resist a similar seduction test. One thing that all have to learn about humanity is, most romantic relationships expire before a certain date. And whether or not an adult will cheat largely depends on his or her religious, ethnic, and economic attitudes, and of course, how attractive the enticements may be. This is as cruel as it sounds.

Beijing News, Feb 12

Like popularity and reputation, loyalty is invisible and thus cannot be tested even by "well-designed" online chats. Such a service may be profitable to its provider, but should never be taken seriously by its consumers. Otherwise, its outcome will only take a great toll on the mutual trust between lovers.

cnhubei.com, Feb 12