Chat room is a cyber space which serves as a platform for internet surfers to interact with one another. It uses a text-based mode of communication. Technological advancement and faster internet connections have made voice calling and video conferencing through webcams possible. The webcam chat feature has spiced up the interest in chatting among the users. Lots of online chat sites provide live video streaming 24×7 for free. Cam chats have given the online chatting a new meaning and a made it more lively. Webcams with high quality video have reduced the distance between people. Video chatting provided by most sites is completely free and secure. Using webcam in chat rooms is not as complicated as it seems.
One needs to hook up the webcam with the computer system and log in to a chat site. Care must be taken to ensure that one’s video is shared only with users one wants. Public chat sites have an option of broadcasting the user’s video such that any member logged in to the chat room can view the video. To prevent undue embarrassment or scandal, it is better to ensure that your video is viewable only to users you permit. Video chatting is also very popular in online dating sites. Use of webcams has further reduced the apparent difference between the real and cyber world.
Ever since the time of text based instant messages, the concept of cyber sex has evolved. Majority of online chat sites are used by various internet surfers for erotic chats. It has raised concerns over the negative influence this might impart upon the teenagers. Since most of these chat rooms are free, there is no way of ensuring that those accessing the site are over 18 years of age. Use of webcams has taken the concept of cyber sex to the next level. Earlier, with a text based system, this was limited only to users with a proactive imagination. With video streaming, which leaves little to the imagination, the number of people indulging in such activities have widened. Live erotic video streaming by advertising it in chat rooms has become a sort of white-collar prostitution.
In a pre webcam era, many users with fake profiles roamed the chat rooms lying about their sex, age and physical attributes. It was a time when the only way to ensure that the user at the other end is not a cheat was to meet in person. Webcams have taken that element of surprise away. They have made the chatting service more safe and secure. As the virtual cyber world becomes more and more life-like, the arguments against the usage of online chatting services are becoming feebler. Webcams have provided the one thing text based rooms could not provide. The ability to watch the person you are chatting with, which makes everything seem more real.
