The article continues on to say that Chatroulette "exploits two powerful psychological realities: our need for connection and our fears of connection." People need people. We crave closeness with other human beings. We like having someone to talk to, someone with which to spend time. However, there is so much risk associated with letting someone in. We fear being judged if we allow them to see who we really are; we are terrified of being hurt because we let somebody else in. Chatroulette offers a risk-free temporary connection with other human beings. We can talk about what we want and be whoever we want and know, that the second we log off, we never have to see those people again. Todd Essig argues, although he is not a fan of CR himself, that the site is an easy way to combat loneliness without the danger or drama of a real-life relationship.
How will this sort of website affect our future? Is this really the path that we want to travel down? The Internet provides us with so many endless and important resources. Social networking sites definitely have their place. They are an enjoyable and easy way to connect with friends, both new and old. However, what happens when we stop meeting new people because we can just find them on Facebook? What happens when we stop calling our friends? I mean, we already know what they're doing- we read it on Twitter, right?
Perhaps we should just take strides to ensure that websites like Chatroulette take a backseat to real life. We can appreciate how fun and innovative they are, but we should never let such things take the place of real in-person relationships.
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