Will Video and Audio Help Clean Up the Web?
If we want to know that someone is the real McCoy we’re going to have to go beyond typing.
Published: January, 2007
The web, we’ve been told, is a place where all of the normal real-world signs you get to let you know that someone is sketchy or creepy don’t exist. On the web, you can’t see their facial expressions to know if they’re fibbing, you can’t see how they’re dressed, and you don’t get the gestures and body language that might say “now, this is a person I can trust.”
But the web is changing really fast. Many parents and educators are worried about the new technologies like video and audio because they’re afraid the web will become an even more compelling place for the wrong type of people. But, think about it! These new technologies will bring a new accountability and honesty to the web.
Video and audio will provide two more sensory clues to help you authenticate your conversation. It’ll let you go beyond just trusting a person’s keystrokes. And that’s a big deal.
Take eBay as an example. It bought Skype, a technology that lets you place a voice call over the Internet, and is working on a plan to incorporate Skype into the auction process. Now imagine you’re about to bid on something but can’t really decide if this transaction is on the up and up. Until now about all you had to go on was the seller’s rating by other buyers. Or you could send a few email questions. It was something, but not much. With Skype integration you’ll be able to dial a number and have an immediate conversation as a part of the auction process. You can ask a few questions, verify a land address, and with a webcam you can see the person you’re about to buy something from. I think it will inject a serious amount of confidence into the process.
The other day I spent some time on Paltalk - a chat room where hundreds of people gather at once. Despite the fact that they came to chat, because there was video and audio, and you could see the people talking, the conversation seemed less offensive and less filled with sexual content and overtures than other :keystroke only” chat rooms. (Paltalk does have an adult rated area as well as the chat rooms I visited.)
Some people won’t like a web with sight and sound. One of the amazing things about the Internet in its infancy was that you weren’t encumbered by the way you looked or the way you sounded. All that mattered were your keystrokes. Many found this very liberating. Kids I’ve talked to talk about how great it is not to be judged by how they look; only by what they say.
And some people will say, and not wrongly so, there are ways to fake who you are using video and audio, too so the problem won’t go away. I think you’re always going to have fraud and deception, but it’s a lot tougher with audio and video.
The Internet grown into a pretty big world and one way for people to be more comfortable with the person they’re doing business with or talking to on the other end is to use voice and video. I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing all the people who’ve been typing to me over the years. What about you?
Do you think video and audio over the Internet will make things safer or not?