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But nearly a third of those who get involved in an internet romance go on to develop a sexual relationship with their cyber lover.
Research conducted by Swinburne University of Technology discovered one in seven Australians were finding friendship or romance online, and of those looking for cyber love, almost 50 per cent were already married or in a de facto relationship.
"It could have been that they were unclear about the differences between an online relationship and an offline relationship in terms of infidelity," senior lecturer and researcher Simone Buzwell said.
"But at the time of the survey, most of these cyber relationships were long-term and ongoing, so we suspect there are a lot of cyber cheaters out there."
The results came from a nationwide telephone survey of more than 1000 Australian adults and were delivered at the World Congress of Sexual Health in Sydney yesterday.
Dr Buzwell said the internet was a prime place for romantic and social interaction and was no longer merely the domain of technological geeks.
"People often thought of cyber daters as desperate individuals who would do anything to find a partner. It was thought only very needy people engaged in this behaviour," she said.
"But we found that people who engaged in internet romance spanned all demographics and all areas of Australian society.
"They were both males and females, and across a wide range of ages from every state in Australia. We also found they spanned all political and religious groups."
Dr Buzwell said online passion usually translated into real-life romance.
"Less than 20 per cent of cyber daters did not meet face to face. Most continued their romances in person.
"In fact, at the time of the survey, over 30 per cent were having an ongoing sexual relationship resulting from cyber dating."
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