Today I saw on facebook that this girl I know supposedly talked with Ashton Kutcher on a site called "ChatRoulette". Unsure of whether this was true or not I decided to look for a article on this so I could further explore... I am still not sure whether she really talked to Ashton but he is into "twitter" and that picture is of him so it wouldnt really surprise me if he tried out the newest social media.
ChatRoulette is a new website that brings you face-to-face, via webcam with an endless stream of strangers randomly from all over the world. This site is only a few months old and has expanded greatly from 300 users in December to 10,000 by the beginning of February. It is not fully out yet (being covered by media) but it is said to be "intensely addictive".
How It Works:
Once you go onto the site, it activates your webcam automatically and when you click start you are instantly staring at another stranger and at this point; you can either chat (text or voice) or click "Next" which brings you to someone else.
The Problem with ChatRoulette:
There is no filter. It is completely unmonitored and you have to take that risk.It is absolutely not a place for children because the stranger can do whatever they want or say whatever they want. The author of this article said he has seen nudity, masturbation, drug use, many people under the influence, and many other bizarre things. "Once you dive in, there's no way to manage the experience to filter users, search for friends, or backtrack and reconnect with someone you chatted with an hour ago"(Sam Anderson).
The Real Possible Dangers:
-Privacy issues, There are screengrabs of other users meaning that somone can save your picture (like above).
-Sexual Predators, this is an easy way for them to expose themselves (THERE IS NO AGE LIMIT).
-The threat of violence - someone can hurt themselves or someone else while chatting with another person.
I find this site interesting, something I would never do but different. The author of the article said he would like if it had filters for age, interest, language, location but argued that it might lose what makes Chatroulette so different. The average age for people who use this site is 20 and it is said that males outnumber females by 20:1. I just found this article interesting because its a different way to interact with strangers.
Work Cited:
Anderson, Sam. "The Human Shuffle." New York Magazine. 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.
The easiest way to meet people these days is to social network through the internet. I find this website interesting but I dont think I would be a part of it. To me, it would feel really uncomfortable being face to face with a stranger. What if they were some old pervert that is trying to talk to you! Or what if you sat down looked at your screen and wasnt impressed with how the other person looked, its awkward, what would you say? "Ummm ok Im not interested." I hate hurting people's feelings and it would be hard for me to do that, because they would definatly know that you just dont want to talk to them because of the way they look. Its interesting, but can make it really easy for predators to find people by knowing thier identity. All and all I think its unsafe!
ReplyDeleteMy friend was actually showing me this website the other day. While its a cool concept there are alot of pervice people doing grose things on the website. I'm sure people will catch on to this site and visit it out of curiousity. There is a similar site called OVOO or something that allows you to talk face to face but I don't think its with strangers. That being said it is really sad that people now are so reliant on technology to talk to someone. What ever happened to face to face conversations?
ReplyDeleteI would never use this site. Definatly because I would be afraid of some creeper that I don't know trying to talk to me.
ReplyDeleteWe all know there are people out there that use social networking site for the better for their jobs, or to keep close contact with friends and family who live far away but there are also those creepy people who try talking to younger girls and things like that.
It's so weird how Ashton showed up on this girls page. Even if a famous person would appear on the website screen, they're being creepy lol I don't trust this site at all.
I read about this site last week and I thought it was interesting that you blogged about it. I think it is an interesting concept of meeting new people. I myself don't know if I could use it because there is always those weirdos that might think it is a way of free porn or something. I think it's pretty sweet that that girl got to talk with Ashton Kutcher but I am sure that this is a rarity on that site. I might have to check it out to see what it is all about but I have to admit I agree with others and it kind of creeps me out at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI agree this site is damn creepy. But I've actually researched Chatroulette and I can tell you that your friend did not take that screenshot, because her picture would say 'You' and be on the bottom, and not Ashton's. I've also read that you can 'Report' someone for being grotesque, however the button is like a placebo, and although you think they're being 'reported' many times, little to nothing is done about these users.
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