Chat Roulette has been getting alot of reporting in the mainstream media, but they miss the most important part of what makes this a novel idea. By now everyone knows how the system works, and yes if you fear the sea of floating penises that plague the site then you shouldn't go there. Disclaimer aside, what makes chat roulette unique is what is says about human behavior. Sure it is technically amazing you can jump to any country and talk to someone (if you actually get a response) but that possibility has existed since web cams came standard. Chat roulette only picked up the pace using the idea founded on omegle's chatting with strangers via IM.
We tend to focus on the crazy and wacky and scary crap people do to get attention in front of the camera, but I find it alot less jarring than the normal people leaning against their hand clicking next over and over.
"Nexting"- or clicking next the moment you see someone, judging them in an instant, and deciding to move forward- is a strong example of the dark side of human nature. In real life, while we ignore strangers face to face, we still interact with them long enough to decide whether it is worth knowing the stranger. If we don't like the stranger, the stranger doesn't just disappear.
Nexting feels like an example of the strong disillusionment and disinterest in understanding people; that the internet encourages. Like the 4 chan's random board, nobody knows each other and usually resort to attention getting techniques of questionable morality. (which can be pretty fun, but you will eventually see something that hurts your mind)
4 chan and similar sites was just text, we've all come to understand text on the internet doesn't carry much weight. But put a face to it, and the disillusionment pulls into the human world. You aren't getting denied by a wall of text, it is by a real person you just saw.
The worst part is, your the one who just nexted. Everyone eventually falls into this habit. I think that the idea of instant judgement and instant denial wont translate immediately to the real world, that would be ridiculous. However, this takes the effect to a new level; we have a person to person session where we are jaded and don't see the fellow webcamer as a person. Rather we see them as a source of pleasure or entertainment, and if they don't please us immediately we drop them for someone new. Such a mindset is incredibly dangerous and useless for the concept of stable relationships in real life.
Preaching aside, this doesn't make chat roulette bad. It simply brings to light the concerning subject of our disillusionment with people. This disconnect with people is growing more due to the internet, shorter attention spans, and instant gratification. We all have fun (mostly), but it does come at a price.
An interesting peek into a survey of the results of Chat Roulette is below.
(HINT: A hot girl goes a long way to getting someone to talk to you!)
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