What's the best way to procrastinate during finals?
Talking to strangers on Omegle is addictive
Sam Abney
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Issues
As busy as we college students often are, it hardly seems that we have a need for new distractions to eat up our free time, or our not so free time when we should be working on assignments. Still, for our last issue of the year, as we turn to more lighthearted themes, I wanted to introduce our readers to a fascinating, educational, and very international website called Omegle (www.omegle.com).
The idea behind Omegle, created just last month by a Vermont high-school senior named Leif K-Brooks, is to connect random strangers together in a chat very similar to what many of us already do regularly in AIM, MSN or QQ (the IM service of choice for the majority of Omegle’s relatively small population). After one click to “start a chat,” you find yourself talking to a randomly selected stranger who could be from any corner of the globe. While English is the most popular language on Omegle, two days of use suggest that the majority of its users speak English as a second language. Due to some key links placed on popular international sites and, I am told, a particular BBS (bulletin board system), you will find that most of your chat partners are Chinese, Finnish, or Brazilian, depending on what time of day you are using the site. Apart from these larger groups, I have encountered strangers from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Lebanon, and a variety of expatriates from the more common countries. You will also find that almost everyone on Omegle is high-school or college age.
While most of Omegle’s users seem to be there for serious conversation and the learning experience, it does have its share of clowns. I talked to one supposedly Korean student for quite some time before she revealed that her name was (as translated by Google) “Kim Jong-Il.” In a different short but humorous exchange, another apparent North Korean informed me, “Your english have engliand style.” Other users of the site have less innocent aims, and these conversations can quickly take a turn for the worse. The best thing about Omegle, however, is that you find so little of this. As I told one of the strangers with whom I was paired, Omegle mostly feels to me like Wikipedia surfing with real-life tour guides across the globe.
So what have I learned so far? Riikka in Finland taught me that her town, Kerimäki, is home to the world’s largest wooden church. I talked to her countryman Jaska briefly about the similarities between baseball and Pesäpallo and Finnish pizza-eating habits (he prefers ham and pineapple). From one Chinese student living in Australia, I learned about the difficulties of studying accounting in a foreign language. I discussed the intricacies of language difference between American and British English with a Brazilian expatriate in England. I helped a Chinese student named Catherine (or Linda––her English and Portuguese names, respectively) practice her English, and I taught her how to use the word “bingo” (although not before confusing her into thinking I was from a place called Bingo). Michael from China taught me about the traditional stringed instrument he plays, the erhu, and offered me a sample of the music made on it. Kang, a Chinese college student in Osaka, Japan, told me about his passion for films, especially those starring Bruce Willis, and asked me for some suggestions of what to see. Not one day later, I received a cheerful email (I suggest creating an alternate email account for Omegle friends, just in case) thanking me for our “happy conversation” and informing me that he had already seen two of the movies I suggested, liked them very much, and was working on obtaining a third.
In a time when some elements in American society, even on our own campus, would have us insulate ourselves from the world in fear or ignorance, celebrating only our own customs and our own heritage, I have found Omegle to be a refreshing, and humbling, celebration of the common human experience. Around the world, we can reach out to each other, see what we have in common, and learn about our differences. This is the miracle of the Internet generation–and a perfectly fine way to spend a Friday night when everyone else has gone home for Easter. So between writing papers and studying for exams, if you find yourself bored or restless, try out Omegle. You won’t regret it, stranger.
The idea behind Omegle, created just last month by a Vermont high-school senior named Leif K-Brooks, is to connect random strangers together in a chat very similar to what many of us already do regularly in AIM, MSN or QQ (the IM service of choice for the majority of Omegle’s relatively small population). After one click to “start a chat,” you find yourself talking to a randomly selected stranger who could be from any corner of the globe. While English is the most popular language on Omegle, two days of use suggest that the majority of its users speak English as a second language. Due to some key links placed on popular international sites and, I am told, a particular BBS (bulletin board system), you will find that most of your chat partners are Chinese, Finnish, or Brazilian, depending on what time of day you are using the site. Apart from these larger groups, I have encountered strangers from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Lebanon, and a variety of expatriates from the more common countries. You will also find that almost everyone on Omegle is high-school or college age.
While most of Omegle’s users seem to be there for serious conversation and the learning experience, it does have its share of clowns. I talked to one supposedly Korean student for quite some time before she revealed that her name was (as translated by Google) “Kim Jong-Il.” In a different short but humorous exchange, another apparent North Korean informed me, “Your english have engliand style.” Other users of the site have less innocent aims, and these conversations can quickly take a turn for the worse. The best thing about Omegle, however, is that you find so little of this. As I told one of the strangers with whom I was paired, Omegle mostly feels to me like Wikipedia surfing with real-life tour guides across the globe.
So what have I learned so far? Riikka in Finland taught me that her town, Kerimäki, is home to the world’s largest wooden church. I talked to her countryman Jaska briefly about the similarities between baseball and Pesäpallo and Finnish pizza-eating habits (he prefers ham and pineapple). From one Chinese student living in Australia, I learned about the difficulties of studying accounting in a foreign language. I discussed the intricacies of language difference between American and British English with a Brazilian expatriate in England. I helped a Chinese student named Catherine (or Linda––her English and Portuguese names, respectively) practice her English, and I taught her how to use the word “bingo” (although not before confusing her into thinking I was from a place called Bingo). Michael from China taught me about the traditional stringed instrument he plays, the erhu, and offered me a sample of the music made on it. Kang, a Chinese college student in Osaka, Japan, told me about his passion for films, especially those starring Bruce Willis, and asked me for some suggestions of what to see. Not one day later, I received a cheerful email (I suggest creating an alternate email account for Omegle friends, just in case) thanking me for our “happy conversation” and informing me that he had already seen two of the movies I suggested, liked them very much, and was working on obtaining a third.
In a time when some elements in American society, even on our own campus, would have us insulate ourselves from the world in fear or ignorance, celebrating only our own customs and our own heritage, I have found Omegle to be a refreshing, and humbling, celebration of the common human experience. Around the world, we can reach out to each other, see what we have in common, and learn about our differences. This is the miracle of the Internet generation–and a perfectly fine way to spend a Friday night when everyone else has gone home for Easter. So between writing papers and studying for exams, if you find yourself bored or restless, try out Omegle. You won’t regret it, stranger.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
russian girlfriend
posted 3/21/10 @ 6:45 PM CST
i find this website very useful but can you plz add a Q&A link that shows some of the common questions his eminenece has answered.
Post a Comment