Blog #3 - ChatRoulette

Until this point I had never used ChatRoulette. Instead, I'd only heard stories and thought the site was one of the creepier things I'd ever heard of. Video chatting today as it is can get copied/taped and spread throughout the Internet, even if it's with someone you know. Why add the element of a stranger to it? Needless to say I can see the excitement, for the same reason people think its fun to play Russian Roulette with guns (I am not one of those people that needs a thrill to get by, but I understand the concept and that some truly do). I was discussing the site with friends and how I thought it seemed quite sketchy and could easily be used inappropriately, when someone told me a story that they were using it and stumbled upon the Jonas Brothers. While this may seem unbelievable, the person didn't have much to gain as she agreed the site was strange, but had one glimpse of excitement on it. I know that our culture has moved to the Internet almost entirely, whether in terms of getting our news, research, and even dating. However, there seems to be a huge difference between using a service like match.com or eharmony.com to ChatRoulette. Surprises are one thing, but this just seems to be calling to a crowd that's lives revolve around the Internet, versus using it to expand one's already full life.