Subscribe by RSS
Comedy Central’s viral video cabaret “Tosh 2.0” is a weekly roundup of the most hilarious and bizarre stuff on the Internet. The host, comedian Daniel Tosh, gives us thirty minutes of nonsense so we don’t have to find the funny ourselves.
Usually, I watch his show, laugh and move on. Yet one of his segments this past week made me do a little digging.
Midway through the episode, Tosh talked about a newfound (at least to me) Internet destination called “Chat Roulette.” The site places you, via Webcam, in direct visual contact and subsequent conversation with a complete stranger.
So one minute you see yourself gazing drearily into the monitor and BOOM!
Someone else, a total stranger, pops up in a video screen right above you, live and in person. And ready to talk.
Um, awkward?
You better believe it.
At first, I didn’t know what to do. I come in contact with new people all the time but usually in a public space: on the subway, at the bank, in a line ordering lunch, etc…
How We Used to Meet People
Each time a person came online to talk, my initial reaction was to close out the screen immediately and avoid talking to a random person. Eventually, I summoned to courage to stay face-to-face and gave “Chat Roulette” a test drive.
I can divide my brief encounters on “Chat Roulette” into two categories: gross and interesting.
Why gross? Well, for some men the prospect of being watched live by anyone on Earth compels but one graceful act: masturbation.
Yea, I saw waaay too much of that. But then I realized the site has a “clean chat” feature (there is a God). So I pared down the pool of strangers to only normal folks and went in search of actual dialogue.
I found it with a girl in her twenties. The exchange only lasted a few minutes, but I learned: she lives in Warsaw, Poland, studied urban planning, makes dog food for a living and enjoys McDonald’s.
Nothing too revelatory, I know. But I was more intrigued to be instantly connected with a living, breathing person way over in Europe. It was a far more intense conversation than if both people hid behind inconspicuous screen names in a text-only chat room.
Seeing someone changed everything. It gave the situation depth; we were no longer mere screen names gabbing in cyberspace.
The site does let you end the conversation at any time with the click of a “next” button, but a chance interaction with anyone in the world is reason enough to examine how far we have taken online communication.
“Chat Roulette” is a logical progression in Web-based contact. We post social media profiles online for the world to see, and video capabilities have enhanced rapidly over the last several years. It only makes sense that we would eventually put two-and-two together and make random video chatting a reality.
I am not condemning “Chat Roulette” (well, maybe the men who use it for sexual gratification), but I am more curious how the nascent technology will filter into our everyday lives.
Schools already use similar software so children in different cities/states/countries can interact. If the child on the other end of the chat was generated randomly, would that broaden the cross-cultural exchange?
How about this: will a site that forces us to stare at a stranger and start a conversation make us more receptive of others?
Will we meet people in other places and want to visit them? Will some people meet their future spouse by chance in a video chat?
The penultimate question: will we use video sites like “Chat Roulette” for good (meeting new people 5,000 miles away or perhaps around the corner) or evil (ahem, masturbating)?
What do you think about “Chat Roulette”? Where is all this online communication headed?
Leave a comment below, and let me know what you think.
Hi Daniel,
I met you in the “ManFro” chat room of Chat Roulette. I just thought I'd say hello.
I look forward to chatting again soon.
By gellsbells on 6/26/2010 at 11:20am
Comedian, Rob Delaney, talking about Chat Roulette:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qewzvnG8zY
By Don on 6/26/2010 at 11:20am