“Welcome to the world of Chatroulette!” The Fourth Meditation on Media

Taking its name from the risky game of Russian roulette, an online webcam chatting service called Chattroulette trades out the bullets and revolver for the friendlier webcam and computer. The idea is simple: you go to the webpage and get connected with random strangers for conversations. The conversations can be good, they could be bad, or you just might see something you never wanted to see, but that’s all part of the game.

Stated in November, 2009 by 17-year-old student Andrey Ternovskiy of Moscow, Chatroulette has grown to become a site that has an average of 35 thousand users on it any given time. It took Andrey just over two days to make the website.

If you already knew about Chatroulette then you may already be aware of the problems that come with it. Obscenities and pornographic material is not allowed on the site but it does not stop some. Fortunately, obscene and objectionable material has been cut down considerably since the addition of a reporting system that blocks user who gain get flagged three times for offences. Still, the site should be considered NSFW! If, even after the warning, you still want to check the site out, then go right ahead through this link.

There are many interesting people to meet on Chatroulette and many people use the site itself for many creative endeavors. An example here shows a performer who is using Chatroulette during a concert:



Triune Brain:
Although I have never actually participated in any Chatroulette sessions myself, it is easy to see how it can engage all layers of the human brain. Any online experience with others can have unpredictable outcomes and that means there’s potentially something in there for every part of the brain. The Neo cortex will be filled with intrigue as you await your next random webcam chat-mate. Your limbic brain will be thoroughly engaged as you chat away with your new friend and your reptilian brain will be on high alert; who knows what kind of creeps those random people could be?

Eight Shifts:
Chatroulette is an example of a personal shift. People get linked up with other random people who all access the website. It’s all about participation. We are talking to others personally rather than consuming a mass produced piece of media.

We are also experiencing an aesthetics shift with Chatroulette. Now we don’t need to walk down the street to have conversations with complete strangers. People are coming together and engaging just for the simple purpose of meeting someone new and interesting.

There is a little bit of a cultural shift here as well. We are shifting from being cloaked behind out computer screen to revealing ourselves to others over the webcam. What you say over Chatroulette is tied to your face. We are almost reclaiming some of the graces of talking to people in person.

Seven Principles:
Reality Construction/Trade-Offs – Chatroulette is a great place for meeting new people but it is also a place for people to try to get a reaction out of others in the most obscene ways. It is a trade off: we jump into the online space and we get a random encounter, but we have to take the good with the bad. There is no real filter. While great experiments in human interaction can occur, like in the video above, there can also be great examples of those that would try and disgust everyone they encounter.

Ownership – So far, Chatroulete has no advertising. It is still owned by Andrey Ternovskiy and so it has no commercial agenda. IT is truly straight to its purpose and that alone.

Individual Meaning – The Chatroulette experience is unique every time. There is no way two people can have the same chat partners and so everyone’s experience is different. Some day you may encounter someone who sings you improvisational music, or you may not. The value of Chatroulette is found in those one of a kind conversations that just doesn’t happen for everyone.

Persuasive Techniques:
Hyperbole – While Chatroulette itself doesn’t advertise or really say anything, other people might build it up to something great. While it is a very interesting experiment in bringing people together, every persons experience with it will be different.
Bandwagon – There are quite a few people on Chatroulette with an average of 35 thousand people on at any given time. This can make some wonder what’s going on and whether or not they should be involved too.

Timing – On Chatroulette you can tumble through many chat partners before even a minute has passed if they all choose to skip over you. In a sense the timing of your conversations can tell you a lot about the people who you attempt to chat with or about yourself.
In the end I don’t think I will ever try Chatroulette personally. I don’t really feel the need to talk to stringers and I can do without seeing the obscene things that I am told exists out there. It has however sparked my interest into new an innovative ways to connect to other people. In what ways can Chatroulette be used as the medium to another experiment or what other ways can people be connected with strangers?