The bizarre rise and fall of Omegle

This week on Scroll Deep, Benedict looks into the insane rise and fall of Omegle, looking at why the video chat service was suddenly shut down after 14 years. Benedict also revisits some of the most viral Omegle chats. #omegle
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Welcome to Scroll Deep, the show that keeps up with all the latest goings on so you don't have to, because who has time to keep up with all this internet? Me, apparently. Formerly KZbinr News (RIP).
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[@selmalarsson8920]

I remember going on Omegle and talking to some guy only in high school musical lyrics and honestly we ended up having quite a deep conversation

[@alohakat1148]

soaring’ flyin’ there’s not a star in heavan that we can’t reach

[@lollydolly4590]

@@alohakat1148now we’ve finally realised who we are it just took some time

[@brokenkittyy]

"ASL" will forever haunt me. We were too young to be on Omegle

[@freebeerishere]

Australian Sign Language

[@SarahsLittleVoice]

i remember talking with someone on omegle for hours one night (when i was like 13 or 14) and we had a really great conversation just about life and feelings and i was chasing a conversation like that ever since, only to drown in a sea of “A/S/L?”s

[@Jerrytcale]

So real. I had so many great conversations on there during times when I was lonely. Haven't used it in years, too late now 😮‍💨

[@alohakat1148]

If it wasn’t for this show I wouldn’t have had the opportunity for active participation and genuine human connection with camp friends❤ also. rip Omegle gone but not forgotten mainly because of the trauma

[@JJChampagne]

I’ve never been on Omegle, but I sure watched a lot of KZbinrs go!

[@QuarterMoonRachel]

Me and my friends used to love hanging out on Omegle as teens during sleepovers in like 2009-2011. I mean, there was some deeply inappropriate stuff we came across but we also had some really fun and surprisingly deep conversations too.

[@Kaeros77]

I vividly remember using Omegle when I was.. probably 11-15 years old, I haven't touched the site in years (I'm 23 now). I saw things I shouldn't have. Did things I shouldn't have. I had great experiences, but also plenty of bad ones, and inappropriate ones. There are definitely creeps out there who have pictures of 11/12 year old me who didn't know any better, and they knew that. Part of me will miss the fun stuff, because there were definitely HILARIOUS things that came from this site, but the bigger part of me is happy that it's gone- way too many creeps are on it, and as someone who has siblings who are around the age I was of when I used the site, I'm glad they won't be exposed to that! (Even though there are definitely other bad places and creeps everywhere..)

[@fugitive_]

:0 whoa i never thought i would live to see the day

[@trustfulplace3894]

i remember going to a party in middle school where a couple people decided to go on omele. they got a guy who was getting off to the camera. that way my first and only interaction with the cite

[@charlottewalker-jolley3865]

A guy wanted to end his life and people kept skipping him and it was making him more angry and i stayed with him for 2 hours so hed feel at least some what loved

[@DSQueenie]

I mean yeah ultimately people have proved time and time again that they cannot and will not be trusted with total freedom. This [gestures at all the awful predators on Omegal] is why we can’t have nice things. This is why the innocent are punished along with the guilty because we as a society have decided that the consequences of the trust we need to have to have a totally open internet isn’t worth it. Tbh I do think it’s crazy that someone can sue Omegal for meeting their predator when they were 11 on the site when they broke the TOS to be on the site.

[@jazzerrae]

ben, listen, i’m telling you this because ily, but the new SD logo is giving Shane Dawson merch just a lil 😬

[@ConejitoPequenito]

I do know someone who got a lot of social connection from omegle, like the essay was talking about. But yeah, heinous crimes are not to be taken lightly

[@cerysxox]

james bond mention 💪💪

[@jackroberts6648]

Bring back the iconic bat

[@tttrtt]

Omegle will forever be loved by us all o7

[@trashonvideo]

I met a gal on omegle from the other side of the world and we stayed in contact! Since like 2012?

[@JoeyTheBeastHD]

What is Omegle ????

[@jazzerrae]

he literally tells you what it is in the video babe 💀

[@kylacrush6810]

It’s basically just a forum for creepy dudes to show off their junk to little girls.

[@JoeyTheBeastHD]

@@jazzerrae I'm glad it's shutting down because I sure wouldn't want my kids to talk to strangers online and be predatory.