Mar. 10, 2010: ChatRoulette and social networking

>> DO YOU CONSTANTLY GET

REQUESTS FROM FRIENDS TO GET

LINKED IN OR JOIN THEM ON

FACEBOOK?

SOCIAL NETWORKING IS EXPLODING

THROUGHOUT THE INTERNET.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES LIKE

FACEBOOK CLAIM TO HAVE 400

MILLION SUBSCRIBERS, WITH AS

MANY AS 200 MILLION A DAY

USING THE SERVICE.

TWITTER SAYS THERE ARE MORE

THAN 75 MILLION PEOPLE SIGNED

UP TO SEND OR RECEIVE THEIR

POSTS.

140 CHARACTERS AT A TIME.

THE NEWEST INTERNET PHENOMENON

IS CHAT ROULETTE, THE SITE

ALLOWS FOLLOWING STRANGERS TO

VIDEO CHAT.

A CLICK OF THE MOUSE TAKES YOU

TO ANOTHER USER, AS MANY AS

50,000 PEOPLE ARE RANDOMLY

ASSIGNED TO EACH OTHER AT ANY

TIME.

BUT UNLIKE OTHER SOCIAL SITES,

CHAT ROULETTE DOESN'T AFFORD

USERS A WAY TO MAINTAIN

RELATIONSHIPS, IT JUST A

SERIES OF RANDOM ENCOUNTERS.

WITH ME NOW IS THE DIRECTOR OF

THE WEB ECOLOGY PROJECT, TIM

HWAN FW, AND ALEX LEAVITT, THE

LEE RESEARCHER FOR THE

PROJECT.

WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.

SO YOUR STUDY LOOKED AT ALL OF

THESE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES.

WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT, JUST

GIVE ME A SENSE OF THE

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FACEBOOK

AND LINKED IN.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE

FOUND IN THE DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN IT, OFTEN WERE THAT

THE COMPOSITION OF USER AS

CROSS THESE VARIOUS PLATFORMS

WERE QUITE DIFFERENT AND THEY

LED TO QUITE GIFT INTERACTIONS,

DEPENDING ON THE DEMOGRAPHICSS

OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED.

AND THAT WAS A PRETTY BIG

THING.

WE FOUND THAT THAT AFFECTED A

LOT OF THE WAYS PEOPLE USE THE

SITE AND THE KIND OF BEHAVIORS

THAT YOU SEE ON IT.

>> SO GIVE ME A SPECIFIC, SO

LINKED IN, LET ME GUESS WOULD

BE OLDER PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE.

>> YES, IT'S VERY PROFESSIONAL,

AND THE SORT OF MESSAGING THAT

OCCURS ON THE SITE IS ALSO

SORT OF VERY FORMAL.

SORT OF A BUSINESS SPACE.

AND IN FACT THE WHOLE IDEA OF

LINKED IN IS THAT THERE'S A

WORLD THAT YOU CAN PARTICIPATE

IN THAT'S JUST WITH BUSINESS.

ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS

ABOUT FACEBOOK IS THAT THERE

ARE SO MANY USERS AT THIS

POINT THAT IT'S A REALLY SORT

OF, YOU SEE A VARIETY OF USES

FROM NETWORKING TO GETING YOUR

NEXT JOB TO SOCIALIZING WITH

FRIENDS.

>> ALEX, HAS THERE BEEN A

TREND IN DEMOGRAPHIC WITH FACE

BECOME ALSO, AREN'T SOME OLDER

PEOPLE SIGNING UP?

>> YES, DEFINITELY.

THE HISTORY OF FACEBOOK, IT

ORIGINALLY STARTED WITH

COLLEGE STUDENTS AND ONCE IT

OPENED UP TO ANYONE COULD USE

IT, THEN BUSINESS COAST USE IT

SO, YOU SAW AN INCREASE IN

USERS, IN TOTAL NUMBER AND

ALSO AGE DEMOGRAPHIC.

SO NOWADAYS IT'S NOT UNCOMMON

TO EITHER SEE YOUR MOTHER ON

IT OR SOME OTHER RELATIVE OR

EVEN YOUR GRANDPARENTS.

>> SOME PEOPLE USE IT TO KEEP

IN TOUCH WITH FAMILY AND THAT

KIND OF THING.

BUT A LOT OF IT IS, IT'S JUST

MY OBSERVATION, A LOT OF

REALLY USELESS KIND OF STUPID,

THAT FIRST LINE, WHAT ARE YOU

DOING RIGHT NOW?

I DON'T KNOW WHY ANYBODY WOULD

WANT TO READ THAT.

>> WHAT'S INTERESTING IS A LOT

OF PEOPLE HAVE THAT REACTION.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ALEX, BUT

MY POINT OF VIEW IS THAT THAT

HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND HAS

HAPPENED FOR DECADE AND DECADE

AT THIS POINT.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SOCIAL

NETWORKING DOES IS BRING THAT

ONLINE SO PEOPLE CAN SEE IT.

IN THE PAST THESE SORTS OF

INTERACTIONS HAPPENED JUST,

YOU MEET A FRIEND OVER COFFEE,

AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING, IS

WHAT THEY TALK ABOUT.

SO IF YOU THINK SOCIAL

NETWORKINGS IS USELESS, YOU

MAY ALSO HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT

PEOPLE JUST MEETING UP AND

TALKING IS KIND OF USELESS AS

WELL.

>> THE ONE THAT REALLY THROWS

ME, THAT ONE, I THINK SOME

THINGS ON FACEBOOK ARE FINE,

BUT THE TWITTER THING, I

REALLY DON'T GET THAT AT ALL.

I DON'T GET WHAT ANYBODY IS

GETTING OUT OF IT.

>> WELL, THERE'S TWO --

>> HELP ME OUT HERE.

>> SO AS TIM SAID, THE INITIAL

REACTIONS TO TWITTER IS KIND

OF WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

YOU'RE JUST USING 140

CHARACTERS PER MESSAGE.

>> I DON'T GET THAT.

WHY?

WHY CAN'T YOU USE 141?

>> THERE'S A FUNNY STORY

BEHIND THAT, IT A PRETTY GEEKY

REASON Y. THE OJ REASON WHY

THEY DID THAT IS BECAUSE IT'S

THE SAME AMOUNT OF CHARACTERS

AS CAN YOU TEXT MESSAGE WITH,

WHEN THEY FIRST FOUNDED THE

SITE.

SO IT'S AN ARTIFICIAL

CONSTRAINT THAT'S BECOME

STANDARD KIND OF AT THIS

POINT.

>> THE BENEFITS OF THAT END UP

BEING THAT TWITTER HAS EVOLVED

INTO SUCH A SHARING SITE FOR

CONTENT THAT IT EASY TO SEND

OUT A LINK, AND IT'S CREATED

THIS WHOLE ECONOMY AROUND

DOWNSIZING URL'S AND BEING

ABLE TO CREATE NETWORKS OF

USERS SPECIFICALLY FOR CERTAIN

CONTENT.

SO YOU'LL SEE GROUPS OF

ACADEMICS FOLLOWING EACH OTHER

OR GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN THE

TECH. SECTOR, ALL THESE

DIFFERENT PEOPLE CONNECTING

OVER CERTAIN TIMES OF CONTENT

AND CREATING NETWORKS AROUND

THAT CONTENT.

>> AS OPPOSED TO JUST

E-MAILING EACH OTHER?

>> IF YOU WERE TO COMPARE

TWILTER TO FACEBOOK, OBVIOUSLY

YOU WOULD SEE MANY DIFFERENT

FRIENDS FRIENDING EACH OTHER

FOR FACEBOOK, BUT TWITTER

SEEMS TOING A REGET A LOT OF

PEOPLE OVER WHAT THEY'RE

READING INSTEAD OF WHO THEY'RE

INTERACTING WITH.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS CHAT

ROULETTE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A

TERM FOR THIS.

>> PROBABLE --

>> I CAN'T SAY IT.

>> SHOULD I EXPLAIN WHAT CHAT

ROULETTE IS ABOUT?

>> YES.

>> CHAT ROULETTE IS BASICALLY

A LOT OF PEOPLE SIGN ON LINE

AND THE SERVICE AUTOMATICALLY

PAIRS WITH OTHER PEOPLE TO

VIDEO CHAT WITH.

AND WE CALL THAT A

PROBABLISTIC COMMUNITY.

YOU'RE TYPING AND YOU CAN ALSO

TALK.

YOUR WEB CAM IS ENABLED WITH

AUDIO YOU CAN TALK TO THE

PERSON.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE

THINKING IS REALLY INTERESTING

ABOUT CHAT RULE LEAD, UNLIKE

FACEBOOK WHERE YOU CONNECT

WITH FRIENDS, CHAT ROULETTE IS

BASED ON THE OPPOSITE.

IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO

BUILD A SUSTAINED RELATIONSHIP

BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE

FLAT FORM.

>> SOMEBODY COULD JUST DUTCH

YOU OFF AND THEY'RE GONE AND

THERE'S NO WAY OF GETTING THEM

BACK.

>> RIGHT.

JUST THE OTHER NIGHT I WAS

TALKING TO A PERSON FOR ABOUT

AN HOUR AND A HALF.

>> REALLY?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

AND WE CHATTED ABOUT MUSIC AND

SONGS THAT WE LIKED.

I NEVER FOUND OUT HIS NAME AND

WHEN HE DISCONNECTED HE

DISCONNECTED.

I THINK IT UNLIKELY THAT WE'LL

EVER SEE HIM AGAIN HIM

>> THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH CHAT

ROULETTE, BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE

FIRST THINKING ABOUT DOING THE

STORY, JARED BOWEN WENT TO

SIGN ON AND GIVE IT A SHOT AND

THE THIRD CHATTER WHO CAME UP

WAS A GUY PERFORMING A SEX

ACT.

AND I GUESS THERE'S A LOT OF

THAT.

AM I CORRECT ON THAT?

>> WE ENDED UP DOING A SMALL

STUDY, AND THE STATISTICS

SHOWED THAT IT WAS NOT AS MUCH

AS PEOPLE EXPECTED.

IT DEPENDS ON TIME OF THE DAY.

SO --

>> THIS IS LIKE 11 IN THE

MORNING.

>> THE MAKEUP OF USERS ON CHAT

ROULETTE IS ABOUT ONE FOURTH

FROM THE U.S., SO YOU MIGHT

ENCOUNTER MORE OF THAT DURING

THE NIGHTTIME WHEN PEOPLE ARE

AT HOME.

BUT IT'S STILL ONLY ABOUT 5%

PEOPLE DOING THESE ON SCENE

THINGS.

--

OBSCENE THINGS.

>> A LOT OF THINGS HAPPEN

ONLINE.

A PORTION OF THE ENTIRE

INTERNET, IT'S SURPRISINGLY

SMALL, I THINK ONE OF THE

INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT CHAT

RULE LEGAL IS IT BECOME

STIGMATIZED.

BECAUSE OF ALL THE TERRIBLE

THINGS THAT ARE INSIDE IT.

ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS

THOUGH IS THAT IF YOU'RE

PREPARED ABOUT IT, IT ACTUALLY

NOT A MAJORITY OF THE

INTERACTION THAT HAPPENS ON

THE SITE.

>> I WENT ON TODAY AND

EVERYBODY LOOKED LIKE YOU

GUYS.

THEY WERE YOUNG MALE, YOU KNOW,

PEOPLE SITTING IN FRONT OF

THEIR COMPUTERS.

I DIDN'T HIT ANY BAD STUFF.

I'M SURE THEY'D LOOK AT MY

PICTURE AND SAY WHO IS THAT?

>> THERE'S A LOT OF FUNNY USES

THAT CHAT RULE LET HAS BEEN

USED FOR, BECAUSE IT'S A WAY

OF HAVING COMMUNICATION WITH A

LOT OF PEOPLE.

SO THERE'S A VIDEO THAT POPPED

ON ONLINE THE OTHER DAY WHICH

IS IF YOU TURN YOUR HEAD THEN

I WIN.

WHAT SOMEONE DIDS WITH THEY

WROTE THAT STATE ON AN INDEX

CARD AND PUT IT SIDEWAYS ON

THE WEB CAM AND THE VIDEO WAS

AS THE CHAT ROULETTE VIDEO

WENT THROUGH DIFFERENT PEOPLE,

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WOULD TURN

THEIR HEAD TO READ THE CARD

AND THE PERSON WOULD MARK THE

SCORE, AND THAT WAS JUST ALL

IT WAS.

IT'S BECOME A REMARKABLE

PLATFORM WHERE PEOPLE HAVE

BEEN PLAYING AROUND A LOT WITH

WHAT YOU CAN DO.

>> I ALWAYS ASK THIS QUESTION,

MAYBE YOU DON'T KNOW THE

ANSWER, ALEX, BUT THIS WAS

DEVELOPED BY SOME KID IN

RUSSIA.

DID HE MAKE ANY MONEY OFF IT?

>> HE IS MAKING A LITTLE

MONEY.

HE HAS SMALL ADS, ONE LINE OF

TYPE ON THE BOTTOM, MAINLY FOR

A DATING SITE.

BUT HE'S THEN GETTING ENOUGH

MONEY OFF OF THAT ONE AD

STREAM TO FUND THE SERVERS

THAT HE NEEDS TO GET ALL OF

THE TRAFFIC THROUGH HIS SITE.

>> FASCINATING REALLY.

THANK YOU GUYS, BOTH VERY

KNOWLEDGEABLE.

THAT IS IT FOR "GREATER

BOSTON".

REME RHINE DER TO TUNE IN TO

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MY RADIO SHOW.

TOMORROW NIGHT AN EXCLUSIVE

FIRST LOOK AT THE NEW WING OF

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AND MORE TOMORROW AT 7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.