The world is changing rapidly. New means of communication are emerging, how we perceive content is changing, and online communication is going through perhaps the most significant metamorphosis it’s seen in a decade. This is largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, which began in 2019 and continues to this day.
The Internet adapted rapidly to this new reality. We’ve already seen a surge in the popularity of video conferencing platforms, the explosive growth of social media, and a real rebirth of anonymous video chat apps, which were ebbing in popularity in previous years.
Let’s have a look at how the world of Internet communication has changed and what it looks like right now, in 2021. It’s been an interesting journey.
The merging of social networks and games
Games on social networks were quite popular before the pandemic, but COVID-19 greatly increased the audience’s interest in them. For example, a number of built-in games have proved very popular on Facebook:
- Clash of Kings
- Cake Story
- Wonder Way Tales
- Jurassic Park Builder
It is important to note that these are not just single-player games. In many of them, you interact with other players in one way or another. For example, you can exchange lives and resources, help each other defeat difficult levels, and much more depending on the specific game. This has become an important part of online social interaction.
In recent years, social media gaming has developed to a whole new level. On Facebook, big tournaments are held in which players from all over the world participate and often fight for real prizes. These offer a great opportunity to try your luck, show your skills, and just have a good time.
The advantage of games in social networks is that they do not need to be installed separately on your computer or smartphone. You just open the site, go to the game, and can start playing right away. It’s that easy!
The revival of chat roulette
While games on social networks gradually increased in popularity before the pandemic, with video chat roulettes the situation is slightly different. They were super popular in 2009-2010 when the format first appeared. They were something completely new then, and some sites managed to attract millions of users every day.
Since then, interest in chat roulettes has faded a little. Many clones appeared, and the format itself started to feel a bit dated for many users, it seemed. But suddenly the world was swept by the coronavirus pandemic and hunger for anonymous video chats reawakened with unprecedented strength. A case in point is one of the first chat roulette sites, Omegle. Just before the pandemic, there were usually up to 15,000 people online, but now this number often exceeds 35,000 and continues to grow.
However, Omegle was not alone in its rapid growth. Other popular video chat apps have also exp\anded their audience very quickly.
OmeTV
Despite the minimalist interface, OmeTV is quite a versatile chat roulette site. Here you can specify your country and gender, select your language, and even enable the automatic translation of messages from another language. OmeTV is a great choice for those who want to chat with people who don’t speak their language and don’t want to use third-party translators. For even more convenience, you can download the official app for iOS or Android.
Chatroulette
Chatroulette video chat is a true pioneer. Indeed it was the first video chat roulette in history. Before that, only Omegle existed, but at that time it was possible to chat only via text.
Unfortunately, due to terrible moderation and limited functionality, the site quickly lost a significant part of its audience. But in 2020, active modernization began and users started to gradually head back.
Camsurf
Camsurf is visually and technically very reminiscent of OmeTV. Here you can also select your gender, choose the language of communication, write a list of interests, and set other parameters. A premium account opens up even more options: hide your location, get a verification badge, add followers, and even apply an introductory message. But in general, you can go a long way with the free functionality of Camsurf.
VideoChat US
VideoChat US is one of the undisputed leaders among video chat roulettes specifically for men. The site connects them exclusively with girls — Video Chat USA has absolutely no fakes, bots, advertising accounts or other nasties. This is thanks to the fact that every girl must verify their identity when registering at https://videochatusus.com. Video chat roulette has a trial period in which it is completely free to use.
Bazoocam
Bazoocam is good to chat roulette for those who want not just to chat face-to-face with random users, but also to watch live broadcasts of other participants. However, be aware that most of the broadcasts on Bazoocam are very explicit and are intended exclusively for users over 18 years old.
Bazoocam has another cool feature — mini-games. This is a good way to vary your communication with strangers and quickly find a common language. At the same time, the site has a very outdated design which will alienate many users.
A trend for Stories and video content
You’ve probably noticed that there is a trend towards short video content on the Internet today. Stories on Instagram and Facebook are getting more feedback than regular posts. And there is an explanation for this — your peers value their time and have little of it. They have no time to read huge expanses of text in your posts. It’s much easier and more convenient to watch a short video story.
Not surprisingly, following Instagram and Facebook, other platforms implemented their versions of Stories:
- YouTube
- Spotify
The format of short video stories has taken root even where no one expected it. For example, on the Medium blogging platform, where the basis of the content has historically been text publications. This format is called Series and has been in operation since 2017. Google Photo also offers an alternative to Stories called Memories, which the platform itself selects for you a year, two, or more after taking certain photos or videos.
Many experts are already saying that Stories have become more important than regular posts. They collect more activity, allow you to quickly convey thoughts to your audience, and interact with readers literally non-stop.
Will the internet change even more in the near future?
There is no doubt that the Internet will go through a lot more changes in the coming years. The speed of data transfer is growing, gadgets are becoming more powerful, and constant online communication plays an ever-increasing role in the life of a modern person. Surely we’ll continue to see many more unusual ways of communicating on the Internet while existing ones will turn out to be outdated and fade into the second place.
In the meantime, we can say with confidence that social networks, anonymous video chat apps, online conference platforms, and dating sites will not lose their relevance for at least several years or even decades. And it’s not just a pandemic and the forced self-isolation of billions of people around the planet. Online communication was an important part of the life of most of our friends and families even before the pandemic — all the pandemic has done is provide a catalyst.
