My last post “Social Media Strangers” touched on a two new SM sites that revolve around randomness as a method to interactive with strangers. The more popular of the two; ChatRoulette has been the topic of quite a few conversations around here, as well as the new addiction of one of our colleagues.

I had been struggling to find the real point of this site and its benefit. Besides being a showcase for perverts, there are lots of genuinely interested users. It’s a platform that lets you be anything between yourself to your alter-ego. Gauging on the amount of puppets, drawn characters, and unique scenarios, creativity is also a large element of the production. Perhaps this isn’t as lost of a cause as I originally thought.

I came across this video (below) that does a great job of explaining things, as well as doing a few experiments to see just who uses it, and what they are looking for. It’s worth sitting through the whole thing. (warning: a bit of swearing in the video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwnCJbf7SD8&feature=player_embedded]

 

There have been a few revelations on the internet regarding social connections. Facebook is still a roaring success of keeping in touch with user-selected friends and family, Twitter allows quick, rapid conversations within  140 characters. Two of the latest sites that are creating some buzz are ChatRoulette and Mystery Seeker. Both sites feed off randomness but in different extremes.

ChatRoulette

One of the latest video fads, large enough to be featured in Fast Company (here), pairs you up with random strangers via video or  text-only conversations. What originated from the mind of a 17-year old Russian kid, has quickly turned to a exhibitionists dream. Picture having a conversation about comic books with a fat guy wearing a bear costume, or a discussion of Latin in the 21st century with a dominatrix and her hand puppet… The opportunities are endless. It’s kind of cool to interact with others you wouldn’t normally think to, but as with most web platforms, it hasn’t taken long for there to be large amounts of sexual content. BEWARE!

Mystery Seeker (formerly Mystery Google)

The foundation of this site is based around the search engine Google, with the spin of receiving search results from the previous user. Naturally, I had to try it out. I looked up “Cat food” and received actual Google Search results for “Strep Throat”. Meh, the novelty has now worn off. It’s a kitchy, gimmick site that isn’t going to get any traction. So why is it still a hot topic online? Is it an opportunity to expand knowledge on topic you haven’t thought of? Or is it just an opportunity for voyeurism? I bet you will try this one out at least once.

Are these “random” sites the next progression of social interaction? Or is it just a quick zig when others zag experiment? What are your thoughts??

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