Feature photo: Chatroulette, the Internet phenomenon started by a 17 year old boy named Andrey Ternovskiy in Moscow is changing the face of anonymity… or at least replacing it with nudity and desperate men.
Chatroulette allows live webcam and audio conversations with strangers, but it’s entirely anonymous (if you don’t recognize the person you’re seeing). Click “Connect” to come face-to-face with a stranger from anywhere in the world, and then hit “Next” (or press F9) to move on. You can also mute your audio or turn off your webcam to really become the ultimate creeper.
Of course, you can imagine that an anonymous webcam chatting platform allows all the weirdos to come creeping out of the woodwork. After finding the picture of the cat (shown above) and laughing hysterically about it for days, I decided I needed to track down the feline who had brought so much laughter into my life. Here are my adventures into the scary world of Chatroulette.
Round One
I needed a stiff drink to get started. Actually, I needed several. After applying extra lipgloss and feeling pretty good about myself, I invited my friend Mike to join me. Our first entertainer was a pretty blonde lady wearing nothing but red lacy lingerie. My friend swooned while she rolled around on the bed like a stripper, legs-over-head and views from behind that would make a pornstar blush. Unfortunately for Mike, the red vixen was more interested in me. I resisted, and she hit F9.
We stayed up until 7 a.m talking with people. Several times, I had to remove Mike from the camera’s view because everyone just wanted to see a girl. Our other drunken friend, Steve, eventually wandered into the room dazed and confused after passing out on the toilet for an hour as he usually does. Him and Mike stood in the background with only their torsos visible while I looked on. I’m fairly certain Chatroulette was invented for people like this, young 20-something males who can find various suggestive things to do with their index fingers poking from their jeans’ zippers, in front of strangers.
Round Two
Ok, I figured this time I would try Chatroulette solo and sober. Turns out there is never really an appropriate time to be using the program.
I was so grateful when I found these lively disco dancers blaring techno music in the background. They were a little more interested in dancing than chatting.
Most often, however, I ran into guys who asked me to remove my shirt. The depth of this conversation is overwhelming.
Stranger: hey
You: hey
You: what’s up?
Stranger: nm hbu
You: just trying this chatroulette thing. i’m glad you’re not a penis.
Stranger: lol. any boobs?
You: nope, girls keep rejecting me.
Stranger: cn i c urs
You disconnected.
I later found a guy holding a sign saying: “Show your boobs to a French guy.” His face wasn’t visible, just the sign.
You: Why is your sign in English?
Your partner disconnected.
Nearly all the males I encountered were teenagers. These young lads took a more subtle, sincere approach.
Others carried swords.
Even better, some sported fantastic beards.
Conclusion
The New York Times suggests that 90 per cent of people using Chatroulette are looking for real, genuine connections. There were supposedly 20,000 people logged on while I was online, and within the span of an hour, I had sufficiently received my daily dose of penis imagery. In fact, I probably overdosed.
The only girls I encountered immediately hit “NEXT.” It felt a little insulting at first, like rejection. But then I decided, “Hey, for once in my life I have the power to reject someone!” And then browsed through the masses like a maniacal speed-dater, grinning all the while.
Against all odds, I did encounter two charming, handsome gentlemen who had wandered over here from a CNN article. Both were absolutely shocked to be face-to-face with a woman. They were also downright disturbed.
You: what’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen on here?
Stranger: ummmm…i saw a woman, riding her excercise bike that looked like she had hooked up some kinda dildo thing to it that as she peddled, it went up and down
Stranger: no kidding
Stranger: you can’t make that up
Alas, they were much too normal for my entertainment. NEXT!
Community Connection
Because it’s virtually impossible to weed out the pornographic material and other questionable displays, many people predict Chatroulette won’t be around for long. What do you think? Want to know more? Read about the future of Chatroulette.
If you want to read more about social media’s evolution, visit our Social Media Focus Page.
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22 Comments... join the discussion!
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oh my god… this sincerely upped the cheerfulness of my work morning.
Thanks, Candice! haha
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Crazy! Sounds like the perfect way for you to spend some time Candice!
I’m curious to know if, in researching Chatroulette, you came across any information about parental controls or concerns about cyber bullying, etc. I definitely don’t want to be the downer here, but it always seems like it’s all fun and games until some teenager commits suicide over a social website.
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I’ll be talking about that a little in tomorrow’s follow up piece on Chatroulette. Right now, there are no controls at all. But that can’t really last.
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I really don’t have any words for this…
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Funniest thing I’ve seen/heard all day! Passed on by a friend, I’m SO glad I opened this email! Too damn funny… Makes me want to get out my Power Ranger costume and give it a try!
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wow. just wow. i don’t think i’ll ever be brave enough to try chatroulette, but i’m damn impressed you were. absolutely hilarious.
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Fantastic article, Candice. It’s safe to say I will never, ever try this. But I’m glad you did, so I can laugh about it!
(Those screenshots are PRICELESS.)
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hell yes
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Thanks for the good laugh, and a glimpse into a fascinating and terrifying world …I may have nightmares about the cat person.
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No lie people, this was too much fun. I probably would have stayed online for another hour because it was just ridiculous, the whole thing. I was totally intimidated at first but it’s just a hilarious experience, I recommend it!
As for downsides, yeah, I’ve seen some screenshots with kids in them. Kids should NOT being using this program. Hard for anyone to make a lasting negative impact on someone else though as the most amount of time you’ll spend with them is 10 minutes.
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This is extremely disturbing! The CNN article seemed to tone this stuff way down. Glad you didn’t.
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Haha, great compilation of ChatRoulette experiences! How many penises did you have to sift through to collect these? Leave it to the Internet community to turn a potentially interesting communication medium into something pervy and weird. But at least it’s good for a laugh.
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I think you secretly love chatroulette, it’s totally perfect for you lol.
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bahahaha, that made me chuckle into my tea. Specially the cat. and the “from heaven” line. classic
i’ll have to remember this Chatroulette business for when I’m next super bored… could be entertaining Or at least time killing!
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Oh it’s no secret, I did love it! Hah. Might make it a regular feature on my blog. Sarah, I had to sift through at LEAST a dozen penises for these gems, but considering it took only about an hour, I’m okay with that.
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I had no idea this was going to be so in depth. This is wonderful, Candice. I don;t know what else to say!
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Candice, you are hilarious. This is the best Chatroulette article I’ve seen since the start of this weird buzz.
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I am speechless. This is incredible.
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OMG I am grabbing a bottle of sake and doing this tonight! Candice, you are an explorer on the front lines of internet weird…we salute you!
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Hahaha, thanks guys! I hope at least some of you check it out! I hear even celebrities are using it these days.
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Haha.
Signed,
Curious.↵
