Chatting with strangers is hardly a new idea. In the past, joining an IRC channel was all it took, and then came services that leaned even harder into randomness and video, such as Chatroulette and Omegle. Now, amid the pandemic combined with quarantine orders around the globe, QuarantineChat appears, a platform that connects isolated strangers so they can have a simple phone conversation.
Talking to a stranger online can lead to situations of risk, moments of annoyance, or countless hours of entertainment and companionship. It's a bet many users make day by day, using platforms that work completely randomly, or that allow you to set some common elements, like anime, music, cinema, videogames, and more (that's how Omegle works, for example). Naturally, with the spread of COVID-19 and quarantine processes, this type of service registers more activity than usual, but that doesn't mean there's no room for new ideas.
What makes QuarantineChat different?
That said, we come across QuarantineChat, a creation of Danielle Baskin and Max Hawkins, two multimedia artists who met at a costume party, and who share a deep interest in telephones. What's special about QuarantineChat? The main idea is that isolated strangers due to the coronavirus can get in touch, however, there is an important difference: the service uses phone calls instead of chat or video.
Built on Dialup
QuarantineChat is based on Dialup, another project by Danielle Baskin that seeks to "revive the magic of talking on the phone". One of the most interesting points of Dialup is automatic calls, so two users who wish to get in touch can schedule a call at a specific time of day, or directly create call groups (although that is already a premium service). In contrast, QuarantineChat uses the free part of Dialup, so users don't pay a cent (unless there's no WiFi nearby and the call consumes mobile data, of course).
How to get involved
Want to be part of this? It all starts with entering your phone number (it's completely private, and none of the strangers will be able to see it), download the Dialup app, and confirm the opt-in for QuarantineChat. The service has exploded in places like Iran, Portugal, and London. That only confirms what we already knew: some people are social animals. They need conversations, small exchanges. Quarantine has taken that away from them, and QuarantineChat seeks to fill the void.
Official site: Click here. Sources: The New Yorker, Mashable.
