I do think one way of looking at it is that people can go on dates for all sorts of reasons - I like to go on dates because I like to meet new people. It doesn't have to wind up in romance - I have made some good non-romantic friends that I have met on dates. And I also believe it's really hard to tell how attracted you might be to someone until you meet them in person.

People can go on dates for all sorts of reasons - some people are looking for an interesting conversation, others might just be up for sex, or looking for marriage, or an activity partner. Going on a date is just an opportunity to see if you might match up - I think meeting in person to do that can be fun and worthwhile in itself.