Charles Huynh
Jennifer Katanyoutanant
Jennifer Nguyen
Lillian Nguyen
Sharon Lin
Intro:
The internet offers people the opportunity to interconnect like never before. Every day, the world gets smaller and smaller, yet can these connection really be meaningful if they are made from such far distances? Can it ever be intimate? Chatroulette gives you the opportunity to chance upon any random stranger with a webcam. Some may change your life, some may not have pants on. Either way, risking a glance at an engorged penis seems like a small price to pay for the opportunity to learn about different cultures from people all over the world. Chatroulette has empowered people to embrace their animalistic behavior rather than subdue them due to lifted social boundaries. Both genders have approached chatroulette with different mindsets which results in vastly different behaviors. With the current progression of technology and society, social media has been met with an army of legal disputes attacking the validity of the site's privatization and user security. This new internet phenomenon is breeding its own culture and this team aims to uncover exactly who partakes in it, why they find it so engaging, and what the real risks may be.
ChatRoulette is one of the latest social websites that pairs up strangers from all over the world. Through webcams, users are able to visually see, talk, or type to their partner. These interactions are randomly generated.
Seventeen year old Andrey Temovskiy created ChatRoulette to stay connected with his friends. “I decided to create a little site for me and my friends where we could connect randomly with other people,”(Stone), stated Ternovskiy in an interview with the New York Times. Similar to speed-dating, users are given a quick first impression and can decide on whether to continue talking with that person or initiate conversation with another stranger. “Entering ChatRoulette is akin to speed-dating tens of thousands of perfect strangers — some clothed, some not,”(Bilton).
Although initially created for social interactions, ChatRoulette’s fame has attracted many users that exploit the site for their own sexual desires. Rather than condemning these sexual exploitations, we want to explore the various cultures within ChatRoulette.
Gender:
In the virtual realm of chat roulette, the gender roles and overall actions and demeanors of users are taken to extremes. Inhibitions are thrown to the wind, insecurities are easily dismissed, and a majority of users reveal a side of themselves that is essentially non-existent in their normal daily lives. Ninjas, warriors, penises, creepers, loners, paired alongside with characteristics of loud, obnoxious, aroused, and defiant cause this atmosphere to be unique and unpredictable. This is a place where you can encounter people exuding authenticity, no longer being bound by the social constraints that society has indirectly implemented. People are no longer concerned with their immediate surroundings and that leads to the genuine interactions which often occur.
Part of the thrill of using ChatRoulette and the reason why people express their sexuality freely is the anonymity of being on the website. You don’t have to use your real name and you will likely never have met most of the people on ChatRoulette. To top it off, the kind of privacy that ChatRoulette allows, along with the one-time occurrence, allows a sense of freedom from social boundaries and rules, instigating a more casual and relaxed environment for online socializing. It is because of the anonymity, privacy, and one-time occurrence, that you see so many male body parts on the website. There isn’t a rule to exhibit self control on CR – you can let your imaginations run wild and say whatever you want, and no one will judge you because, well, they can’t. They don’t know you and will never see you ever again.
Actions based on gender are a bit puzzling on ChatRoulette, and both take very different routes. The majority of men love to expose their genitals yet hide their face. This coincides with the sense of freedom ChatRoulette bestows on its users. Shame is no longer a factor in the world of ChatRoulette, allowing men to be more daring and bold. But by hiding their faces, they also attempt to circumvent shame most likely so they will have a clear conscience and no lingering feelings of guilt or embarrassment. There is no clear cut answer to why men act the way they act, but one can assume that this is an innate desire, suppressed by the everyday social boundaries that society has created and upheld. Another plausible theory is that men have adapted the habit of acting rashly, and without considering proper consequences. Since there are no negative backlashes on ChatRoulette, men feel no need to be concerned with any of their actions, indirectly empowering them with the ability to do almost anything. Dressing up in ridiculous costumes, masturbating, and screaming profanities are all part of ChatRoulette and the answer to why they do it might be as simple as ‘because they can and want to’.
In general, however, women did not openly express their sexuality on ChatRoulette. Single females who were on ChatRoulette were seeking attention and admiration from the opposite sex, mostly because they felt that it was easier to acquire online rather than in person. They can more easily speak their mind and attain what is usually frowned upon. Talking with a lot of guys can earn girls the label of ‘flirt’ or ‘tease’ in the social realm, but in ChatRoulette, the privacy that is available changes the circumstances drastically. Girls stated how much more comfortable they felt, being in their own surroundings rather than something that was completely unfamiliar to them. They also noted that they felt empowered by the ability to choose who to talk to, how long they wanted to talk to you for, and were not afraid to ‘next’ someone, which is clicking a button to talk to a different person, without feeling remorse. A few women mentioned that in real life, it is quite difficult to tell people that you want to stop dating or stop talking, but in ChatRoulette, dismissing someone is just part of the game. Many do not take it too personally; everyone has been ‘nexted’ at one point or another, which makes the practice routine rather than cruel.
The differences between how females and males use ChatRoulette are extreme, especially in terms of how sexuality is expressed unreservedly on ChatRoulette. There is less consensus among females to express their sexuality as freely as males do; most females have their clothes on when browsing for a partner to chat with, and if they did take off their clothes later, it would just be for a selected person to see. It is in this way that females treat ChatRoulette in a vastly different way than males. Males treat it as a personal outlet for sexual intimacy, while females are much more discreet on ChatRoulette. Even though you can do whatever you want on ChatRoulette, it’s interesting to note that females do not express their most primal desires that males do. Many females retain a sense of propriety--although it’s difficult to tell what would happen if the girls did not next us, and there is the occasional woman having sex on camera with another man—and they also enjoy going on ChatRoulette in groups.
Groups of girls are always looking for conversation and are on ChatRoulette out of boredom or curiosity. One group we spoke to was just curious about ChatRoulette and talked to us quite extensively about themselves and Canada, the country they were from. They also expressed displeasure at seeing all the penises on ChatRoulette. All in all though, females are a little more subtle and a little more mysterious with their intentions on ChatRoulette than men.
So why are males so much more expressive and open about their sexuality on Chat Roulette than females? Society and cultural norms actually can be linked back to behavior on ChatRoulette. Females in general, due to societal constraints and cultural values, tend to be more submissive and subtle. They are supposed to be the quieter, gentler, but more emotional sex, while males are thought to be the dominating, more controlling ones who express no emotion. The use of ChatRoulette by people corresponds with the gender stratification in society. The expectation of males to be how they are—rude and horny—is indeed expressed on ChatRoulette. Most of them do not show their faces either, which can be interpreted as another compliance with the social norm that men are not allowed to show emotion. Males take control of Chat Roulette, doing whatever they want just because they can, while females, although they need not, either consciously or subconsciously direct their actions in a more understated way. The female subtlety is seen on ChatRoulette through the repeated ‘nexting’ and the small number of females on ChatRoulette that openly express their sexuality. The differences in female and male behavior on ChatRoulette go hand in hand with how men and women are treated differently in society. For example, if a man sleeps with many women, he is applauded, while a woman who sleeps with many men is deemed to be a “slut”. Although men use ChatRoulette improperly, there would likely be a very different attitude toward ChatRoulette if women used ChatRoulette the same way men did.
Security:
Social media security favors strict security/privacy over moderate restrictions, however, there are positive reasons for both levels of security. Strict security increases user control, which is better received by marketers, parents, and allows programs to be used in a more “productive manner.” On the other hand, lax security creates a more expansive use of the internet that shows the extent of internet uses/abuses. ChatRoulette in general is a open-ended program with a scant amount of underlying regulations that are enforced by a system of lenient penalties that have no long-term punishment to violators. In ChatRoulette, everyone is anonymous and users decide what they would like to discuss or showcase, as opposed to Facebook where everyone is required to be identified and are able to privatize their profiles. Moreover, the anonymity of the ChatRoulette framework is currently being exploited by third-party programs such as ChatRouletteMap to further decrease user security and privacy.
First, ChatRoulette encourages users to be at least 16 years old, and prohibits pornographic behavior. Furthermore, it is important to stress that it “encourages,” meaning that there is no real age limitations because nothing states it on front page, nor does it even ask for a birthdate (not that someone can’t fake their age but it is a small step that a majority of websites take towards regulating the type of content that can be seen by minors). If a user fails to obey the rules, the connecting user can “report” the individual, and if they gets an additional two reports within five minutes then they are banned for 10-40 minutes. This might not seem like much for a site that is not only occupied by both minors and adults, but which is also prevailing of pornographic conduct. Nonetheless, it allows people to randomly connect to others around the world, creating a private and personal communication experience.
The less “hands on” approach of ChatRoulette means less liability in the law. The terms and conditions are not even listed and is based on what is “suggested” by word of mouth. There is no punishment because there is nothing tangible to argue against. For all they know it is a free market. In contrast, Facebook’s terms and conditions are heavily documented on their website, conveniently listed at the very bottom of every page under “Privacy” and “A Guide to Privacy on Facebook.” These help educate users of Facebook’s privacy functions and policies which allow you to limit who can see your profile and what they can see. Currently, Facebook has been facing many disputes regarding its ever-changing and increasingly complex privacy settings. This is a clear example of how more rules and functions may seem like a better idea, but can possibly create more problems for the developer and users alike.
Another question to ask is does the website’s anonymity have an advantage over other websites? It lessens the constraints that a standard conversation holds and opens up the value of “random conversation.” Would someone be less inclined to say or do something if the other partner didn’t know their true identity? From experience this was indeed true because the types of conversations and content seen were widely ranged from personal to sexual. All over ChatRoulette, there are those who enjoy masturbating to someone watching them. With ChatRoulette being so free-form, users take advantage of this all of the times. Yet even with this “anonymity,” people differ in how they present themselves. Some show just their private parts, some show their whole body, and some show their whole body and face. Are people still scared of what they are allowing others to see, even if they don’t know who they are? The answer to this may be because of technology and third-party applications.
ChatRouletteMap is a website that takes pictures of users currently using ChatRoulette and plots the exact location using their ip address. The user is not aware that their photo is captured and posted, but the only way to take it off is to show proof of identity. This not only infiltrates the feeling of security of anonymity, but takes it beyond to another level of safety. User complaints about the invasion of security in ChatRoulette can be compared with negative remarks about one of the more recent developments of Google, Google Buzz. Google buzz, like ChatRoulette encroaches on the privacy of the user and provides public information about the user without their consent. When you first go onto Google Buzz, it automatically sets you up with followers and people to follow. The problem though is that by default, the people you follow and the people who follow you are made public to anyone who looks at your profile, which in other words allows someone to go into your profile and see who you email and chat with most frequently. Furthermore, according to an article by Miguel Helft titled “Critics Say Google Invades Privacy With New Service,” unauthorized permissions to allocate users' personal information has resulted in even bigger issues, one of which involves a woman who discovered that a list of people, which may have included her ex-abusive husband or people who sent hostile comments to her blog, were automatically following her and her comments on Google Reader. (Helft 1) As opposed to the legal actions that Google has taken to alter their security measures on Google Buzz, ChatRoulette has done nothing of the sort. While ChatRoulleteMap is a third-party application as opposed to Google Buzz's direct association with the Google Company, ChatRoulette's inaction can be an indicator of the future of developments in the future.
VISUALS:
Back in the day, people had to resort to analog chat rooms to meet people. Conversation may have been great, but you were always bogged with the worry that the person on the other end may not be all that they seem. With the advent of ChatRoulette, the visuals modern day webcam's provide gives people the opportunity to see who they are talking to, adding another dimension to the anthropology of chat room interaction.
Chatroulette offers varying degrees of visuals. As a whole, participants show either their whole face, the lower half of their face, just their body, just their penis or breasts, their whole body, or their lap. Though showing genitalia is normally deemed an intimate act, on ChatRoulette, it is routine. I've talked to many users, some who masturbate without showing their face and some who do. Some also engage in small talk beforehand but most are already doing so while others ask up front. Those who don’t show their faces hide their identities to keep from being recorded. Still, many claim that they would show their faces if their partner "seems ok", or engages in the mutual masturbation. Seeing someone’s face seems to be a privilege that can only be earned. It is the only point of self-conscious users worry about. To next someone based off physical appearance can be more damaging than nexting someone who is naked. All the while, they never asked for my name or get try to get to know me at all as if distances themselves further from a real person. Furthermore, they rarely ask to meet partners outside of chatroulette. If anything, they exchange emails but it rarely turns into a real relationship. when asked why they are so aroused by the image of someone else masturbating with them, some claimed to like being with someone because masturbating alone was too lonely. Some claimed that having the ability to arouse a partner so much that they climax is the greatest satisfaction. Others like the thrill of having strangers watch them (You never know what you will get). In addition to people masturbating alone, we've also witnessed couples having sex for the camera. They claimed to like it when others watched, but when asked to comment on why, they nexted us or continued to have sex. Only one female observer talked to these particular participants so the results might vary if they had been talking to a male or a group of people.
Chatroulette’s set up allows strangers to interact with one another through webcams (as mentioned earlier). With this comes an endless possibility of how people visually present themselves. The access to cyberspace and information leads to “the freedom to reinvent oneself and to construct entire social worlds free from the limits of embodied reality in everyday life,” (Bernal 661). In many aspects, this relates to the freedom of ChatRoulette. Users are given a “visual” first impression of other users from various parts of the world. This allows users to present themselves differently from their daily appearances and to divulge into fantasies.
Through various sessions of observations, there were prominent themes in bodily presentations as mentioned previously. However, since the sample of participants observed were from randomization, it would be difficult to generalize for the whole ChatRoulette audience. Rather, the observations collected offer one take on visuals.
Often times many present themselves with different angles revealing certain parts of the body. Many of these users present themselves in ways that they want to be perceived. As mentioned by Walther, “Online users can organize the information flow and enhance self-image by strategically selecting how and what to convey to the receiver," (Walter 32). Although Walther was making this comparison to facebook, the same can be said for ChatRoulette. Users are able to present themselves the way they want the other person to perceive them. For instance, if there were blank black screens on their end, it would usually signify a hesitation to show their face. During my interview, I would often times question their hesitations and found that many were scared to show their face out of fear.
In an interview with a one user, I asked if the guest purposely hide their face. The response was like typical responses from others. But was I found interesting was his reason for not showing his face. They responded by stating that "some freaks might record it,"showing obvious fears in displaying his face. There could potentially be suggestive images of users, which could later on affect their work, family, etc. So, hesitation in showing one's face is a prevalent theme. Most interviewers tend to become comfortable in the conversation and eventually show their face.
Often times, black screens get “nexted”. Users have the ability to skip to the next randomly generated person. Different reasons for nexting may be because there is no one there, the person isn’t attractive, etc.Your appearance becomes the reason for being “nexted” As Walther mentioned, “People judge the authenticity of self-presentation online," (Walther 28). Unfortunately for ChatRoulette, appearance is often times judged and being nexted occurs if deemed unattractive.
Users typically like the reassurance of being able to visually see the other person they talk to. Some have found ways to protect their identity while still physically showing their bodies. Some ways would be by only showing angles of their body (such as a missing head), while others wear some form of disguise, like a mask. These are just some of the ways that people visually present themselves.
CONCLUSION
As short as these short snippets of conversation are, every action, every look, and every visual is loaded with a subculture of sexual tension, dissociation of identity, and risk of exposure. Although the technology gives people a window to a diverse population of people and cultures, we've noticed that many users forgo this opportunity to act upon their most basic animal urges. While it is possible for ChatRoulette's user base to expand beyond it's current masturbating population, the current trend seem to be growing at an alarming pace with more users asking to see our breasts rather than ask our names. One can not help but to question how this reflects current society now? Without social norms to guide social interaction, ChatRoulette provides a free flow plateau for users to speak and act as they feel without fear of judgment. Still, users attribute every hello and "next" to new set of social norms, breeding a brand new culture which is bound to evolve over the next generations of users. Although we can only speculate what rules will form next, it is always possible for a 180 degree shift in population and entertainment. It all depends on you.
Bibliography :
1.Helft, Miguel. "Critics Say Google Invades Privacy With New Service - NYTimes.com." www.nytimes.com. New York Times, 12 Feb 2010. Web. 9 Jun 2010.
2.Bilton, Nick. "The Surreal World of Chatroulete - NYTimes.com." www.nytimes.com. New York times, 19 Feb 2010.
3.Stone, Brad. "Chatroulette's Creator, 17, Introduces himself -NYTimes.com." www.nytimes.com New York Times, 13, Feb 2010
4.Walther, Joseph B et al. “The Role of Friends’ Appearance and Behavior on Evaluations of Individuals on Facebook: Are we Known by the Company We Keep?” Human Communication Research, 2008, pp.28-49.
5.Bernal, Victoria. “Eritrea on-line: Diaspora, cyberspace, and the public sphere.” American Ethnologist, 2005. Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 660-675.
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