Self Exposure

Modern Voyeurism and Sexual Expression through the Medium of Chatroulette 

                ChatRoulette; From my personal experience is a 10% chance of a meaningful conversation and a 90% of seeing unsolicited nudity. ChatRoulette in precisely what its name implies, a site that facilitates the random matching of one with someone else from anywhere around the world. Though, more often than not, ChatRoulette tends to produces a naked man, rather than a potential inspiring conversation with someone from across the globe, providing a rich cultural experience from the comfort of your home. This facet of ChatRoulette, centred on gratuitous nudity, is a popularly explored phenomenon. Where does this need to expose one’s self to strangers steam from? the phenomenon of randomised internet chat be connected to the concept of voyeurism and sexual expression. David Kreps of University of Salford, states that ChatRoulette’s strange microcosm thrives on the concept of voyeurism and exhibitionist. Kreps argues that ₂“exhibitionist and viewer gradually becomes the primary field within which ChatRoulette operates”. This need to watch and be watch can be viewed is laced throughout our culture. From reality TV to social media society tends to fall into one of two categories, the watcher and the watched. ChatRoulette offers an opportunity for this formula to be altered. The watcher can become the watched, expressing the deeper desires to share their lives and their sexuality. In average societal situations, one has very few opportunities to express their sexually and are drawn to the anonymity of a random video chat as a form of self expression of a deeply repressed aspect of themselves.  According to various internet forums the general public contentious of this strange phenomena ranges from disgust ₃“People are sick and think it’s funny to post a video of them naked” to a more naturalistic approach “What’s wrong with being naked? It’s totally natural.” Dr Taly Weiss, in an argument discussing the potential dangers of ChatRoulette stating ₄“that internet encounters, be they ones such as on ChatRoulette.. are about satisfying the feeling of excitement that comes when we are allowed inside private places and invite people into them too”. Whether it is based in pure perversion or an innate desire for self expression, I personally would not recommend visiting this website in Irving K Barber where people could potentially see your activities.

Kreps, DG 2010, Foucault, exhibitionism and voyeurism on chatroulette , in: Cultural attitudes towards technology and communication 2010, 17-21/6/2010, Vancouver, Canada.
document_url: http://usir.salford.ac.uk/10355/1/Kreps_Chatroulette_catac10_proceedings.pdf