If you follow modern internet trends closely, you could not fail to see that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for video communication services in general and online video chat services in particular has grown substantially. But something else is interesting: this demand has not especially decreased even since the pandemic ended.
In 2020, many popular random video chat services saw an audience growth of approximately 30%. Some more, others less. The subsequent drop turned out to be quite insignificant and amounted to about 10% at the current time. In other words, over several years, video chat services have increased their permanent and active audience by an average of 20%.
But why did this happen?
The most obvious answer is social isolation and lack of communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as tightened quarantine measures. But in most countries, these restrictions have already been lifted, and interest in the video chat format still has not subsided. This indicates that demand was not driven solely by the pandemic.
Let’s work it out!
Which random video chats showed the largest increase in audience
It’s quite obvious that, first of all, the demand for video chat with the option of conferencing has grown very much over recent years: Skype, Zoom, Google Meet and the like. They have become a real boon for people who need to study or work remotely. And for maintaining contacts with family and friends, this format is ideal. But at the same time, it’s not at all suitable for those who want to meet new people on the internet. There are other platforms for these people — random video chat applications:
- Chat Alternative — quite a popular online video chat service with gender and geographic filters. According to the developers, about 100-150,000 people are constantly online on Chat Alternative. Well, this information is displayed on the main page of the site at least. However, we do not have the opportunity to verify its reliability. Nevertheless, you will definitely not have a shortage of chat partners here.
- Flingster — random video chat for those who crave frank communication and are ready to be completely liberated. There are no taboo subjects in Flingster, which is why the platform attracts thousands of users. For your convenience, the site has several separate themed chat areas: Cam to Cam, Nude Chat, Adult Chat and others. We are sure you’ll find something to interest you.
- FunYu — video chat for meeting single people all over the world. You have access to a gender filter and search for users by country. There is also a gay chat option on the site, which for many users will be a very useful addition. Otherwise, this is quite a classic chatroulette with all its advantages and disadvantages.
- CooMeet — multilingual video chat with a gender filter, the ability to record and publish short Stories, as well as excellent moderation and support service. Among other things, random video chat with women CooMeet offers you a built-in message translator for convenient communication with foreigners.
- ChatRandom — online video chat where you can use gender, geographic filters, as well as search by interests. There is a separate chat with girls feature, but you will need a premium account to access it. On ChatRandom, you also have themed chat rooms for many participants at your disposal. If you like to communicate in the company of like-minded people, this can be a good option.
- LivU — one more fairly usable video chat, in which you can access a gender filter and other settings for searching for people. Among other things, there is a very convenient built-in messenger, which may well replace apps like WhatsApp or Telegram for you.
The basic functionality of most of these video chat sites is identical — they simply connect you with random people, giving you the opportunity to communicate via video and discuss almost any topic. At the same time, the conversation itself is as close as possible to a face to face one. You can see the other person, hear their voice, and observe gestures and facial expressions. In this way, you can get to know a person much better than when meeting on a website or in a dating app. This means that your encounter may turn out to be much more promising.
Why has video communication become so popular?
Obviously, it’s impossible to answer this question in one sentence. Modern society has come a very long way to reach the understanding that the most convenient and practical communication format in the 21st century is video communication.
But let’s try to figure out what contributed to this, if we deliberately do not take into account the aforementioned COVID-19 pandemic.
- Development of scientific and technological progress. Thanks to the rapid development of technology, our lives have become more connected to the digital environment, and video communication has become available to people around the world. New communication formats such as social networks, messengers and videoconferencing allow us to communicate with friends, colleagues and relatives, at great distances from each other.
- Increasing number of digital professions. With the advent of a large number of professions related to the internet and digital technologies, video communication has become essential for many people in business and the media industry. Videoconferencing allows for more efficient business negotiations, training, consultations and presentations, and also creates new opportunities for remote work. Again, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown many that most professionals can work remotely quite effectively. There is now no urgent need to keep everyone in the office.
- The growth of social isolation. In the modern world, when people have become more busy and self-contained, video communication has become one of the easiest and most effective ways to communicate. It allows people to keep in touch with friends and family even when they are very far away, as well as participate in activities and social life without leaving home.
- Taking care of your health and safety. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, video communication has become one of the key ways to communicate without the risk of getting sick. Video conferencing and other video communication applications allow people to communicate without contact with others, which increases security and prevents risks. In general, online dating is still safer for people.
- Unwillingness to be limited only to the inner circle of communication. Video communication allows people to communicate and establish contact with people who are far away from them, which expands the circle of communication and opens up new opportunities for social interaction.
- Lack of free time. In today’s world, people are faced with time constraints due to work, family obligations, and other circumstances. Video communication allows you to reduce the time you need to spend on communication and make it more effective.
This is actually not the whole list of reasons why video communication today is so actively replacing ordinary texting and even telephone conversations. If ten or fifteen years ago it was very rare to see a person talking to someone via video, for example, in a cafe or in a park, today this is a completely familiar phenomenon for everyone. And it’s great!
Video chat is here to stay
Now it is very difficult to predict how communication between people will change in the foreseeable future. And it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that in ten years video chat apps will remain as popular as they are now. Many experts believe that very soon we will all switch to other communication systems:
- Holographic communication technologies
- Virtual spaces (metaverses)
- Augmented reality
- Decentralized communication systems based on blockchain technologies
Be that as it may, we should take a closer look at new technological solutions. After all, what today seems strange and useless, may turn out to be the main means of communication between people in five or ten years time. It is not a good idea to underestimate modern scientific and technological progress.