The Surreal World of Chatroulette

[Renew Deal]

Nothing can really prepare you for the latest online phenomenon, Chatroulette.

The social Web site, created just three months ago by a 17-year-old Russian named Andrey Ternovskiy, drops you into an unnerving world where you are connected through webcams to a random, fathomless succession of strangers from across the globe. You see them, they see you. You talk to them, they talk to you. Or not. The site, which is gaining thousands of users a day and lately some news coverage, has a faddish feel, but those who study online vagaries see a glimpse into a surreal future, a turn in the direction of the Internet.

Before you rush off to your computer to try Chatroulette, it is only fair to let you know what you’re getting into. Entering Chatroulette is akin to speed-dating tens of thousands of perfect strangers — some clothed, some not.

The home page is sparse, with two empty boxes — one labeled Stranger, the other, aptly, You. When you press the Play button, your webcam is activated and you are told that Chatroulette is “Looking for a random stranger.” Up pops a live video and you can chat with the person on the other end. Hit Next and you are confronted with a new stranger.

In its simplest form, the site does exactly what its name says — it pulls you into a game of roulette. I used the service for the first time a few weeks ago, and I found it both enthralling and distasteful, yet I kept going back for more.

At one moment I was sitting in the living room with my wife, and on entering the site, we were siphoned into a dimly lit room with a man who told us he was in Russia. Moments later we were watching a woman dance half-naked in a kitchen in Turkey, and then we stared in shock at a gaggle of laughing college students in a dorm room somewhere. With each click of the mouse we were transported into a stranger’s life — then whisked along to another jarring encounter.

After five minutes, we disconnected and sat in silence, disturbed by the rawness of some of what we had seen.

But our curiosity drew us back the next day, this time better prepared. Before we knew it, we were talking to a couple in Napa Valley about wine. We clicked Next and there were three naked men in Amsterdam dancing to Rick Astley music. Next, two computer students in a classroom in China asked us about New York. Then a man told us he was in jail. (Someone who looked like an armed guard stood off in the distance.)
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/weekinreview/21bilton.html

[madinmaryland]

1. Heh! You got rick-rolled!!

:rofl:

[KittyWampus]

2. I am coining a scientific term for this "Random Mutual Voyeurism". My curiosity is piqued

mainly at the prospects of being able to talk immediately to someone in/from a different culture.

[blogslut]

3. Sounds fun but

I'm not willing to lower my firewall just to play.

[Renew Deal]

4. kick

For entertainment purposes only