But that's just Chatroulette in theory. In practice, my request to 'Scan' Chatroulette is met by some dude with a backwards hat, standing with his back to the camera and talking on the phone.
Well that's great.
Certainly, I could've been met with much worse: the oft-mentioned nudity, some preteen girls attempting to serenade me with some Bieber jams...the list goes on.
What I'm most curious about in regard to Chatroulette is how it was started, and I guess, why it was started. Did someone really think this would revolutionize Internet communication? I doubt it. I kind of hope it was meant to be a gimmick, because then I think it would have been successful.
Your blog post is dead on. This site really could have been a hit and quite successful, had there been some censoring and scanning beforehand. Now, it's just an excuse for people to go on and screw around with people. In terms of revolutionizing the Internet, I think this really was a good TRY, but it ultimately failed. It's bringing together two different types of newer media: live chatting with stranger (though strange, it's popular) and Skyping.
ReplyDeleteThat aside, in terms of what was discussed in lecture, I think that ChatRoulette is safer than any type of online chat room. Strictly thinking through the mind of Chris Hanson from To Catch a Predator, at least ChatRoulette lets you know if you are, indeed, talking to a 40-year-old male...or a 13-year-old girl. I think it's more safe, because cameras don't lie. However, you might see a lot more of this person than you want to...you know what I mean...