Stevie Klein ’12
Web Features Editor

“Asl?” Age. Sex. Location. This common conversation starter is used on the chat website, omegle.com, which is rapidly gaining popularity among teenagers.

Omegle.com is a site that lets any person in the world anonymously chat with another randomly chosen person that is online at the same time.

This site has become extremely popular among Staples students and is being used both during school and outside of school. Many students admit to using the site for fun or for a few laughs.

“I use it to make fun of people and for my own entertainment,” said Nick Paparo ’13.

Nicole Marcante ’12 agrees, but mostly loves the anonymity of the site because she can create a new identity for herself and notes that others like to do the same. 

“I think people like being a different person; they can be anyone they want and nobody will ever know,” said Marcante.

However, this anonymity makes it so that a user has no idea who they are talking to.

“You are completely anonymous on the Internet, you can say you are a young Catholic girl but you can really be a Jewish boy, you have no idea what the truth is,” Principal, John Dodig said.

Various students have admitted to pretending to be someone else while using this site.

“I always pretend to be a sixteen-year-old girl,” Ben Aldirch ’11 said. 
              
A sophomore girl, who once pretended to be a little girl who had run away, also said that she was a black woman during one conversation, which led to a surprising result.

“I pretended to be a black woman and my partner rapidly disconnected. It shows how racist some people are,” said the sophomore girl.

Besides prejudiced users, some users are also trying to get you to have a very sexual conversation with them.

A sophomore girl admits to having been talking to a user who was making very inappropriate, sexual suggestions. Although she responded to them with her 
friends to be funny, many students find this hurtful and inappropriate. The sophomore girl notes that the site is really designed for “horny women and men.”

Chloe Baker ’13 admits to being asked if “[she] was up for sex.” This made her feel very uncomfortable, but she knows that this kind of conversation occurs regularly on the site.

However, there is inconsistency over whether or not the site is in fact dangerous.

Mr. Dodig says the site can lead to more dangerous activities. He explains, “My gut feeling is that it’s horrible.”

Anna Link ’12 agrees, saying, “Anything on the Internet can be dangerous, this is no exception.”

Nevertheless, others disagree.

“It’s totally anonymous; there is no harm in it,” said Aldrich.

Although the students of Staples use omegle.com for different reasons, it is undeniable that the trend is sticking.

“It’s a great way to meet friends,” said Aldrich, who believes that usage of omegle.com will continue for a while.