You may have already heard the usual lines that are used to persuade people that random video chatting is awesome. You can meet new friends online, maybe flirt a bit or find a romantic interest, show off a project you just completed, and so on. All of that is great, but there are a few other reasons why you might be pleasantly surprised by what video chatting can offer.
On a site like Chatrandom, for example, you won’t necessarily find a bunch of bells and whistles. What you will find, though, are thousands of video chatters from around the world, who represent all kinds of potential where your own chatting experience is concerned. Each chat will be randomly chosen for you, but if you know what you’re getting into, your chances of having varied, enjoyable chats get much better. Of course, you could always just dive headfirst into random video chatting, but it always pays to know what could happen beforehand.
1. It’s easier to be yourself
Sometimes it can feel like you’re living in an echo chamber, but random video chats can provide a breath of fresh air. Having a hard time at work? It shouldn’t be too hard to find a chat partner who’ll listen to you rant for a little bit. Are you in the middle of discovering your inner diva, but you’re too shy to show off your daring wardrobe choices to the people you know? Ask a few video chatters to tell you if you’re on the right track or not.
As you meet new chat partners, it’s inevitable that you’ll come across a few who simply don’t fit the bill. Maybe they’re obnoxious, or just kind of boring. Once in a while, though, you’ll be matched with someone who you simply don’t agree with. Whether you’re talking about military policies or the legitimacy of pineapple on pizza, maybe you should give them a chance to say their piece, as long as they’re willing to do the same for you. Instead of an argument, have a debate. You won’t necessarily change your opinion, but you might hear something that you’ve never considered before.
A quick note: sometimes people use the anonymity of random chats as a license to harass or bully other users. If this happens to you, it’s probably best if you don’t keep going to see if you can turn it around; just open the next chat and start over.
2. You have a unique kind of opportunity to interact with strangers
Random chat sites are one of the few places where you can strike up a conversation with a total stranger, and be pretty sure that they’ll reciprocate. Try that in the real world, and you’ll probably just get a weird look and awkward silence. Even on social media sites like Facebook, which are supposed to be all about connecting people, most users stick to generic comments under your photos rather than actual conversations. Just think of what would happen if you tried to call one of your Facebook friends out of the blue – they’d think it was an accident and ignore the call.
On a random chat site, however, you can find people who are there solely to talk with strangers. You may get skipped over sometimes, but that’s just a matter of finding a compatible partner. Once you do, you’ll have no problem getting the conversation going.
3. The typical random chat site protects your anonymity
When you think of random video chatting, hopefully you think of entertaining interactions, not the possibility of fraud. However, it’s probably best if you did keep a weather eye out for scammers – after all, your chosen random chat site has probably done half the work for you already.
It’s common to be able to open up a video or text chat without even registering or signing in. This isn’t just a handy way of saving a couple of minutes; it’s also a foolproof plan to prevent someone from seeing your personal details or hacking your chat account. They can’t steal it if it isn’t there in the first place, right?
Some chat sites offer a few extra features if you register. Will registering make you more vulnerable, though? Not if you make sure you don’t give your information away yourself. The chat site certainly won’t; it’s standard to only display your first name, your country, and perhaps your age. As long as you decline to discuss personal details and don’t click on any mysterious links or files, you’ll be in good shape. As for the rest, your chat site of choice will have probably already taken care of it.
4. You can expand your understanding of other cultures
It’s pretty much inevitable that you’ll run into people from other countries on a random chat site – but what if you decided to actually seek them out once in a while? If you’ve ever traveled internationally, you’ll know that all the research in the world doesn’t compare to actually being in the place itself. Obviously, video chatting isn’t nearly the same as going to a different country, but you can still get the flavor of the culture if you talk with someone who’s been immersed in it their whole life.
You could even decide to seek out people from a certain country. Have you always loved learning about Italy? See how many Italians you can find to video chat with. You may have to change your chat schedule a little to compensate for the difference in time zones, but that might be worth it to satisfy your curiosity. You could learn about Southern Italians’ love of mushrooms and homemade sausages, or what it’s like to live in Milan, one of the fashion capitals of the world.
There’s much more to find out about the benefits of random chatting.
You could end up discovering all kinds of reasons why you enjoy video chatting. There’s one thing you can count on, though – you’ll never know for sure until you try it yourself!
