Chat Roulette. A Window To The World.
Posted Mar. 5, 2010 by Casey Flanagan
Filed under: Digital / Interactive, Ideas, Social Media, Trends
Chat Roulette is another one of those things that I (a) can’t believe exist (b) can’t figure out the appeal of and (c) can’t seem to turn away from.
chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.
The video provides a great summary of the newly-minted phenomena. For those who are new to the concept, it couldn’t be simpler. The website randomly connects you to a video chat partner. You chat until one of you moves on. (This act is called “nexting” and, at first, it’s hard not to take personally.) You are then randomly connected with someone else.
The concept fascinates me. It’s the internet – anonymity + social networking + user-generated content + addictive behavior + sense of discovery – in a nutshell. More than that, it’s a real window into the global village. Real people. Real lives. Real grown men dressed in catsuits.
And, to me, it’s a great reminder. That people are not rational. They are not expected. And they are not stock images. Whether or not I’m ever able to carry on a real, live video chat with a randomly selected stranger (let’s just say I get “nexted” – a lot), it’s good to be reminded that they’re out there. And even when they have nothing better to do, most people have very little patience or attention for what you have to say.
2 Responses to “Chat Roulette. A Window To The World.”
Posted on Mar 5, 2010 by Jim
Great video… I bet a lot of people are finding this today after Jon Stewart did a piece on the Daily Show last night. I hope more people see your film, it’s really well done and entertaining. Congrats
Posted on Mar 8, 2010 by cflanagan
Thanks Jim. While I do consider that video rather autobiographical (I had a similar experience to the creator + we are both named Casey), I was not the filmmaker.
Chat Roulette has been an interesting phenomenon – not just in its technology, but in how it has been covered. From USA Today to The Daily Show, people are talking. Whether it’s around in a year or not, the landscape has been changed.