Fetlife is a kink/fetish version of Facebook...as in a carbon copy, but just kinky, all the drama, highschool tier cliche non-sense, ect...
In my experience it's nothing, but a congregation of cam models looking to get views for cash and sell their used panties, women who want a cyber sugar-daddy to buy them stuff off of Amazon in exchange for videos of them uncovering an ankle, couples looking and never finding a third-party for their bedroom play, voyeurs who love cum photo tributes, but never actually do anything, but take photos of themselves, older folks (60+) taking compromising photos doing things they wish they could have done in their youth and sharing them with EVERYONE and fetish specific folks that take 4,000 photos of their new "toy" and want to share EVERY PHOTO they took to the public stream.
I've had two, TWO actual conversations (not someone thanking you for liking their photo and never replying back to you). One from a young woman who wanted to meet for sex, desperately enough to fly three states over to have it...as if that wasn't throwing up red flags...young, attractive 19 year old desperate to have sex with a out of shape 28 year old...sure, that's not hinky.
The other was actually a pleasant conversation with a MtF TG, but the convo died off eventually.
Anyone who added me as a friend was a cam girl or voyeur, who 'dlike a random photo, most often not one of you, but something else you've post in your gallery.
I added all kinds of folks from my area, some of whom I know...90% of them check their FL once a month, maybe reply to a comment or two. The remaining 10% never reply to comments, messages, ect...
Then there is the bit about paying the $5/month to get access to a more active photo stream and feed, the ability to view more of your own timeline, to view videos, ect...
Lastly, FL openly admits they allow faux profiles under the guise that someone may want to express a kink/fetish, but are too timid to do some on a legit profile and may want to express it under an alternative profile...and they will allow said alternative profile until it is proven to be someone being impersonated or a troll, so there is a major chance of being catfished or worse, Craigslist stalked.