February 26, 2010

this post has nothing to do with tea*

*I’ve had to change the post title to steer away unwanted traffic. Long story.

If you haven’t heard about chat roulette yet, this video will explain it perfectly. Basically, it connects you to a totally random user by web-cam. If you don’t like what you get, you can ‘next’ them. It’s beautifully simple and poetically cruel.

The guy making this micro-documentary, Casey, shares how things went for both him and his attractive female friend – and divides other users into girls, boys and perverts. Worth watching, if nothing else to compound your expectations.

Chat roulette is a great metaphor for the ruthlessly exciting culture of online engagement. Possibilities to connect are infinite and effortless but also at the constant mercy of people’s self-interest.

It’s also a good example of the importance of a good name. ‘Roulette’ tells a rich story about this experience before you even ‘play’.

4 comments tagged: ,
  • john

    Great video, summed up chatrt very well. I find it almost pointless to be a male and try and use the website, no one wants to talk. The filming was great by the way.

  • Mike

    Hats off to you for your presentation. I being 59 have had great conversations with mature adults from all over the globe. It’s a shame that a few hand beaters give this web site a bad name. Thank you.

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  • Ryan

    very nice blog! thanx for the good article! It made me so curious that I needed to try chatroulette immediately :D was fun..but I was shocked about the number of naked guys..and think that’s also the reason why only few girls hang out there. a friend of mine recently recommended http://www.chathopper.com/ on his blog. think I’ll try it sometime..