Too scared to try the Chatroulette site on my own, I enlisted the company of my cousin to test out the site that everyone was talking about last week. We were aware of what to expect after reading our fair share of first hand accounts. Although Nick Bilton from the New York Times is correct in his assessment:
Nothing can really prepare you for the latest online phenomenon, Chatroulette.
…not even knowing what to expect. You can talk to lots of people, but you don’t form any sort of real connection. Anyone who hypothesizes otherwise really misunderstands the website. It is a place for the curious, the lonely, and mostly the mischievous, like us, looking to stir up some trouble and a few laughs. Will it change our world? No… but it definitely created a surreal one.
Image via: NY Mag
The Creepy
The first time you see someone expose their manhood to you, it will be traumatizing. It doesn’t matter if someone at New York Magazine gave you fair warning. Soon you start to appreciate the people who ask you in advance if they can show you what’s in their pants. At least they give you the chance to say no thank you. This naked trend makes the amount of children we saw on the site an even more disturbing trend. These children are seeing the same images we are seeing, and at their age shouldn’t they be outside playing, not watching some loser show his goods?
The Curious
If you take out the large amount of flashers on Chatroulette, what you are left with is a large amount of curious people. For the first 20 or so people we saw on Chatroulette, we “nexted” quickly and nervously, mostly because it is strange talking to complete strangers. What do you say to that new face staring back at you? It’s easier to press NEXT. Add the anxiety that you don’t know who is going to pop up after you hit NEXT, it is safer to keep your finger on that NEXT button. Sometimes you find yourself nexting others so they won’t get the pleasure of nexting you first. Take that complete stranger! I nexted you first. A lot of the time we came across people who looked like they didn’t know what they were doing, like us, and were checking the site out for the first time.
The Funny
After we turned off our computer and went out for a typical Saturday night, we returned home with some liquid courage and an extra partner in crime. As it turns out, this website is very much like the bar we just visited, except for the fact that you are forced to make awkward conversation with your neighbor at the bar instead of avoiding eye contact and shifting your body language. This forced interaction makes for some funny encounters like we had with our favorite French guy in Nice. We spoke to him for about a 1/2 hour (very long for Chatroulette), connecting in the same way that tipsy strangers connect at a bar. Suddenly you are best friends! It was 9am in Nice and he had just gotten back from a party; it was 3 am in the States and we had just gotten back from a bar and some tacos. He sat back in his recliner wearing a suit, red tie, and a huge, goofy smile ready to talk, in a thick French accent, to his new stranger pals on Chatroulette.
The Friendly
There are some nice people on here, believe it or not. I was happy when we stumbled across a guy in Tunis, mostly because I was able to practice my French with him. We danced with some people and often gave friendly waves to others who didn’t really have much to say. Another guy, who was unsurprisingly French (they were the most open to talk to other males, without any sexual undertones) played some tunes for us on his guitar. Since there are a lot of people who are curious about the site, not everyone is going to be a sick bastard. It’s like talking to a penpal whom you’ve never met in person. You have to think of generic ways to talk to someone will never meet again, although we did see some of the same people twice (despite the thousands of users). We also came across a few parties and chugged a beer (I chugged a can of seltzer water) with a guy from somewhere in the Southern US.
Will It Change Social Media?
Some people are touting that this site is not a true social network site because you can’t form real connections. I see their point, but I would argue that there are some interesting outcomes of interacting with people in a way that isn’t possible in real life. Sure you could approach anonymous strangers in a park or bus, but chances are your efforts wouldn’t bode too well. The one main difference between Chatroulette and other social networking sites is that you have no firm connection between people. You can’t “friend” anyone or “like” or “dislike” anything. Once you hit the next button the interaction is lost. It is also an open haven for everything, which includes the crazy. There is no way to police the content.
Sure it freaks me out a little that so many social connections are being made online, but that doesn’t take away the relevance to what it means to social interaction and the marketing world.
Naturally the interaction we had with a drunk guy from France will not change social media, however the option of face-to-face video chatting can. It can open up lots of doors, (yes many of them will be problematic and creepy) as well as new ways for people and companies to interact. Is it the type of site you check everyday like Facebook? Most definitely not. Will companies eventually find a way to cash in with this sort of instant interaction? My guess is yes.
Our Conclusions About Chatroulette.
- Women will get fewer “nexts” than men, mostly because of the large number of men on the site.
- Most men will next other men.
- Men from outside the USA are more likely to stop and speak to other men. It seemed that American guys would next another guy in a matter of seconds, but the French, Chinese, and Turks were much more willing to say hello.
- A large majority of people on the site want to expose themselves or want you to expose yourself. Be prepared to be shocked.
- Your surroundings tell a lot about what you are looking for. If you are in a well lit room with others it sends a much different message than lying in bed with the lights off.
- The Chinese love to wave hello!
- Participating with a buddy is much easier than going on the site solo. Also much less creepy.
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The Strange and Creepy World of Social Media
by Elena on February 19, 2010
These sites have changed the way we market products and ideas, as well as the social interaction of our society, but let’s leave that for the psychologists and sociologists to tackle. What I’m interested in exploring is what happens when you give free reign to millions of tech savvy users with varying interests and different definitions of what they consider fun?
What about the juicy stuff, you know, the creepy, stalker, addictive part of knowing every details about the people you follow? Not everyone is poking friendly pokes and tweeting informative tweets. Don’t get me wrong. I obviously love social media, what with this blog and all, but I still find it utterly fascinating, and a little frightening, the level it can be taken to.
Chat Roulette
Let’s take a look at the social network phenomenon of the week, Chat Roulette. For those unfamiliar, with the program, it is a one-on-one text, webcam, microphone-based, chat service where you can talk to people all over the world. There is a catch of course, or maybe it’s the hook. The site is literally a social game of roulette because you never know who you are going to get. By participating you open yourself to brutal honesty from complete strangers who have the option of pressing the next button when they are tired of looking at you. After you hit that button, you can be talking to a person dressed up as a ninja one minute or someone looking to practice their English the next. Most of the time however you will probably be nexted quickly, or disturbed enough to push the next button yourself. Sam Anderson’s article, The Human Shuffle written for New York Magazine, provides an entertaining look into his experience with Chat Roulette. If you want to get a better idea about this site, this is the article to read. He describes his first experience with Chat Roulette as taking him back to grade-school filled with feelings of social inadequacy (with all that nexting). Anderson also goes into detail about some of the conversations he had, as well as the odd magnetic feeling you get driving you back to the site.
Imagine you sign on only to find this guy…
Despite the site’s terms of service (Chatroulette does not tolerate broadcasting obscene, offending, pornographic material and we will have to block users who violate these rules from using our service) ask anyone who has tried Chat Roulette and they will tell you otherwise. Lots of creepers are on it with the sole intention of getting people to expose themselves or frankly just exposing themselves to you. This brings up worries about child pornography and many other issues that get exacerbated once they enter such social network spaces. This is one more site parents have to be worried about their kids stumbling upon.
Google Latitude
Google Latitude is a feature on Google Maps that allows you find the approximate location of your Gmail friends. When you look at the map you can see your friend’s avatar hovering around their location. It seems friendly enough, allowing your friends to see your whereabouts with the Google Latitude software. It is brilliant really, Google really thinks of everything. The question is, do we really need to pinpoint the locations of our friends and family?
Google is aware of the dangers of location data, which is why they enacted privacy settings into their program. First and foremost you are in charge of who you accept as a friend and you chose the people who can see your whereabouts. You can also hide your location. For many this provides a sense of security. As internet users we have become less anxious about sharing private information about ourselves, but the rule of thumb is that we need to have control about what we share. As for Google Latitude, it’s not like your friends are going to track you down. Plus, there is nothing creepy about knowing who is ‘in the area’ and ‘dropping by’ because you saw their little avatar floating around nearby. Hmm. This brings me to…
Foursquare
I first found out about Foursquare from the Frugal Traveler at the New York Times. The reason Foursquare is relevant to a frugal travel post, is that the site encourages people to explore a neighborhood and “check in” to local restaurants, cafes, museums, etc. The more you frequent a location, the more chances you get to receive prizes and discounts, depending on the location. You even get badges if you unlock new places and the more badges you get, the closer you are to becoming mayor or an explorer. Users can make recommendations and keep others updated on what is hot in their area. Overall the site seems like a great idea for those looking to explore their city, but there is a really big BUT here. Sure it seems harmless BUT what is the consequence of people knowing your every move on such sites like Foursquare and Twitter? Glad you asked…
Please Rob Me
The guys on Please Rob Me sure have a sense of humor. What with listing all those empty homes out there haha. Making us all aware that if we tell everyone where we are at all times, we inadvertently alert them when we aren’t home haha. It’s just too funny… isn’t it? haha… As it turns out, letting everyone know our every move through various social networks, is not only annoying, but also brings up security issues, stalking, theft, etc. Some people full of hubris and irrational fear believe that “it will happen to me,” while others brush it off thinking “that would never happen to me?” Most people fall humbly in between, aware of the risks but not willing to let it rule them. Of course the guys at Please Rob Me didn’t create their site to facilitate burglary, but rather to raise awareness, ever so bluntly, about these privacy issues. They certainly got their point across. So don’t go putting your friend’s personal address on Foursquare in order to get extra points or an online badge.
This last site isn’t creepy or scary in any way. Disappointed? Don’t worry, it’s still peculiar. If you ever wanted to know what people really think about you, brutal honesty, without knowing who or where the opinion comes from, sign up for failin.gs! Why anyone would open themselves up to such candid remarks is beyond me, but some people just want honesty, or the taste of suffering. Failin.gs’ users ask, “What’s wrong with me?” and people can leave anonymous tips answering that very question. Since it is anonymous, it allows for brutal honesty without consequence. If you find any of your friends on failin.gs asking:
“What’s wrong with me?”
You can always anonymously tip them.
“You’re on this site.”
[Disclaimer - Social media networks are not inherently creepy or strange, however the debate of the new ways we interact with people have raised many questions about privacy. It is a choice to participate in such programs and post as much information as we want about ourselves, and there is nothing inherently wrong in doing so. But to everything there is a balance and examining the creepy side is just a bit more interesting.]
Image via: Balakov
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