New social network surfaces

By: Elizabeth Grady

Posted: 3/12/10

Image courtesy of cnn.com

Enter the URL into your Web browser, press enter, and you are immediately connected to a world of endless possibilities of meeting people. Welcome to chatroulette.com, the newest member of the social networking family.

Andrey Ternovskiy, a 17-year-old high school student from Russia, created the new trend with the intention of it serving as a gaming system four months ago. He currently maintains the Web site, which typically has more than 35,000 visitors at any given moment, according to a Feb. 22 article on CNN.com.

This new Web site allows people to press play and begin chatting with random strangers via Webcam. It also enables them to press "next" until they find someone they want to talk to.

Students like Jennifer Koehler, a freshman pre-law major, participates in the site for its simplicity.

"Your camera just connects to their camera, and you can hear each other and instant message each other," Koehler said.

She began using the Web site with reservations.

"At first I felt like a total creeper being on Chat Roulette, until I realized that you can meet a lot of different people from around the world," Koehler said.

However, some students like Jamari Jackson, a freshman journalism and mass communication major, are not warming up to the concept.

"You get a lot of weird people on there, and you don't know them," Jackson said. "I don't feel like talking to weird people."

People commonly connect to the Web site out of curiosity or pressure from friends.

"My friends were just hanging out and were like 'Oh my God, have you ever heard of Chat Roulette?'" Alexis Cosco, a sophomore psychology major, said. "We'd never been on it before … so we just went on it."

Chat Roulette may sound innocent and purely fun at first, but pornographic images are common on the Web site. Four out of 10 videos The Bona Venture staff previewed were inappropriate.

Carole McNall, a journalism and mass communication professor who teaches Internet and the Law, explained that a Web site like this could have unexpected legal repercussions for students.

"The one time I think that a student may have a potential legal problem ... (is) if the person on the other end of Chat Roulette is under 18," McNall said.

Law enforcement on the Internet proves difficult because of how globalized the Web is now, according to McNall.

"If the particular Web site isn't headquartered in the United States, the amount of stuff we can do about it, especially if the country where it's located isn't really sympathetic, it's pretty small," McNall said.

The nature of Chat Roulette and other social networking sites can also prove dangerous for users.

"The unfortunate reality is that many sexual predators use these sites to lure potential victims, which sadly include children, teens and young adults," William Elenchin, professor of sociology, said. "And the reasons become clear when you consider that such sites make it simple for perpetrators to create false identities that can be easily used to hide behind, needing only a keypad and screen."

The unique ability of Chat Roulette to simply "next" someone with seconds also poses other possible legal problems.

"(People) are up for such a short time," McNall said. "Unless they have a screen capture or something, how do I even know it happened or not if I'm law enforcement?"

According to Elenchin, social networking Web sites like Chat Roulette can have social consequences.

"There can be a downside to electronic devices and social networking sites when people, most time unintentionally, try to replace genuine relationships with virtual ones," Elenchin said. "Emerging research is now showing us that our minds and souls are nourished by good quality relationships much more than by high quantity but shallow interactions with others. We are seeing this play out in society more and more."

However, students like Koehler enjoy the site, feeling that the benefits outweigh the risks.

"I think it's a really fun Web site to just go on with your friends just for fun," Koehler said. "It's just funny."

Both Koehler and Cosco agree that the Web site shouldn't be taken seriously and should only be used for entertainment purposes.

"I wouldn't advise anyone to go on if they're looking for love," Koehler said.

e-mail: gradyea09@sbu.edu