Chatroulette is only six-months-old, but it's already all the rage, and sparking controversy.
The social networking Web site and latest Internet craze randomly and repeatedly connects users to strangers from all over the world, via their webcams.
As many as 85,000 users are doing it at any particular time, and up to 500,000 daily visitors worldwide, the site says.
While the site says you have to be at least 16 years old to use this service, there is no age authentication. This can cause problems.
Not only are you encouraged to talk to strangers, but young eyes can see a naked middle-aged man just as easily as they can find a 12-year old girl singing a Taylor Swift song. . For kids, it isn’t safe, it’s easy to use, it’s free, and there are no barriers to keep kids off of it.
Another problem also lies in the fact that individuals can save any chat they share with a stranger and record and video and then do with it as they please, possibly posting it on YouTube, Facebook, or any other social media website.
Ironically Andrey Ternovskiy, a 17-year-old high school student in Moscow, created the site. His reason being that he was bored of chatting with people that he knew. An interesting concept, but there is certainly some barriers and walls that need to be constructed to protect the young and innocent. And to ban any foul play.
Personally, I’ve never experienced the awkward voyeurism of Chatroulette first-hand. I prefer to have social interaction in person with people I know or want to know. I think it’s just another excuse for socially awkward people to stay inside and not be out and active in the real world. But seriously, I have to admit that I’m struck by the lurid fascination of watching a mix of cam-whores, douches and weirdo’s making fools of themselves.
I haven't tried this either (this is the first I've heard of it), but it's hard to credibly criticize something when you haven't even looked at it.
ReplyDelete* weirdos (plural, not possessive)
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