By Ally DeJong
Staff Writer
Teens are no longer satisfied with just sending an instant message; they want to see visuals. Video chatting is becoming more conventional due to increasing technology. Now you can talk to someone halfway across the world, as if they are right in front of you.
There are the common video chat websites such as OOVOO and Skype, where users add friends to talk to them at their choosing. But there are also websites such as Omegle or Chat Roulette that allow users to randomly talk to anyone in the world.
Students use sites like OOVOO and Skype to talk to family and friends.
“Skype is a good way to talk to people out of town, especially if they are in a different country,” said junior Samantha Petty. “You get to see their faces.”
Another reason some students like these sites to hold conversations is that a direct response is seen immediately, rather than waiting for a thought-out reply.
“It’s easier to read people because you can see their facial expressions,” said junior Chase Golden.
The biggest difference between sites like Skype and sites like Omegle is the random anonymity that takes place on Omegle or Chat Roulette as opposed to identified friend lists on Skype.
On these anonymous websites no personal information is required and the video chatting starts instantly. Video chatting websites run on a live stream where users are randomly paired with other users. If they are paired with someone they don’t want to chat with, users can click the “next” button and instantly access a new partner. On Instant messaging, video chat and Omegle, the fellow chatter’s name is presented as “stranger,” since personal information such as one’s name is not stated.
Northwood students visit these anonymous sites for multiple reasons. Some students use them to meet new people and others just find them as a source of entertainment.
“You get to meet people from around the world,” said Dylan Lowe, sophomore.
“I use Chat Roulette for fun,” said Petty. “Some people are funny.“
A way for some students to find the desired entertainment on anonymous chat sites is to “troll,” or to be crude towards other users.
“I troll, I say rude things to people because it’s amusing and I like to read their reactions,” freshman Alyanna Ridiman said.
In some cases, inappropriate or sexually explicit content may be present on these websites. The sites make it easy to click a button and move on to the next person at anytime with no warning, but viewers can’t erase what they saw.
Northwood students have run into people who have done these types of things before, and some have decided that this content can make the sites hazardous for students.
“You never know who you’re going to meet and there is a lot of bad stuff on there,” said Golden.
In a lot of cases, students have mixed feelings about chat websites and the safety or misuse of webcams around the globe.
“I think Skype can be a great way to communicate with people out of the country for free, and I think [that] Chat Roulette can be really dangerous because it’s random strangers that do inappropriate things,” Petty said.