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Created less than a year ago by a 17-year-old Russian teen named Andrey Ternovskiy, Chatroulette is an online phenomena unlike any other.
Imagine an online chat room, but instead of entering and typing to strangers, you enter an online chat room via live webcam. Now imagine entering this online chat room and coming face-to-face with strangers from across the globe. You are automatically inserted into their living room, or wherever they may be, once they enter Chatroulette.
When using Chatroulette, you’re doing just that, playing roulette with whomever you connect with. You could be connected with a chef in California, a teacher in Tennessee or a news reporter in New York. You are paired with someone randomly and are connected by the internet and a webcam. People of all ages are using Chatroulette, from giggly students to curious young adults to a more mature audience.
One of the more interesting facts about Chatroulette is that nobody can be tracked in a world where people are googling one another and job seekers must protect their privacy on Facebook, Chatroulette allows one to enter without a login or password. Your name is not broadcast for anyone to see, and nobody needs to know your identity.
Plus, if you come across someone that does not interest you, you can click the next button to move from this connection and begin to interact with a different person. Comparable to speed dating, once you’re finished chatting with one person, you can move along to the next. If you come across someone you’re not interested in talking to anymore, the next button allows you to change contacts without any hard feelings.
In the past month, Chatroulette introduced Localroulette, an application hat allows users to connect to others in the same region. Another new feature, Channelroulette lets chatters connect with those that have similar interests, whether they be friends or strangers.
