I sit in front of the computer, sometimes all night long, staring at people I don't know. Sometimes I talk to them, either by text or by voice; sometimes I listen to them talk to others. I talk to them as if they are friends . . . as if I have known them forever. I tell them things I would tell any friend, and they tell me their secrets as well.

But we're still strangers.

Web Cams are quickly becoming a popular phenomenon. More and more people are starting to broadcast themselves to the world. Those who haven't begun broadcasting their lives yet are content to sit back and watch those who do.

We've always been a world fascinated by cameras. Hidden camera shows on TV have always generated high ratings. We videotape our children as they grow, we videotape our vacations, and we videotape our private sex lives. Now we broadcast those things as well, over the Internet, inviting the rest of the world to peek into our world.

Why do we do it? What motivates us to display ourselves to millions of strangers, day and night? Is it because most of us are simply exhibitionists at heart, or is this just a way to avoid being lonely? Or maybe we simply have something we want to share with the rest of the world. And what about the ones who watch? Are those people leading such dull lives that they need to watch someone else's life unfold?

I spend a lot of time on the Internet. One of the places I go to is a web cam site called Cherry-Cam, run by a sixteen year old girl from Texas. Her name is Jessica Hebert. For Jessica, the web cam is a creative outlet. I asked Jessica about her thoughts on the role of web cams in our society, and particularly about her thoughts on how web cams change the way society views privacy.

" . . . Well, I think that web cams to some people seem to simply be high-tech 'peeping toms'", Jessica said. "But they are really more than that. I think society puts too much emphasis on privacy . . ."

Can there be too much emphasis on privacy? With cameras virtually everywhere in our society, shouldn't there be some places that are still private?

Jessica said, "I think being able to pull up a web page and find a real person there is a very good thing. Most people are so intimidated by the Internet, and the majority of the net is so cold and impersonal. I just want to be able to share a small part of my life and myself with anyone who is interested."

That "interest" is eclectic, to say the least. It ranges from simple curiosity to outright perversity. Jessica has had a web cam for about four months. During that time, she has encountered an extreme range of people. Some are nice, some are mean, and some are just annoying.

What do Jessica's parents think about the time she spends on the computer, inviting complete strangers to look into her life? Jessica says that they are supportive of her endeavor. Her mother spends time on the Internet as well, occasionally dropping by her daughter's web site to keep an eye on things.

Society has always been in a constant state of evolution. It's changing now, at a pace we wouldn't have imagined twenty years ago. The way we entertain ourselves, the way we communicate, and even some of our long-held beliefs about certain issues in our society changes every day. There is little doubt those things will continue to evolve, maybe even at a faster pace than we expect. In any case, Jessica, and others like her, are ready for the future.

"I think we (webcammers) are on the brink of a whole new area of the Internet that has not been explored before. In the next few years, I hope to see a different side of the net that has only begun to surface," says Jessica.

I have no idea what the future of the Internet holds, but like Jessica, I am more than eager to find out . . .

Copyright © 2000 Carl Hose All Rights Reserved

Carl Hose is 38 years old and lives in St. Louis, Missouri. His publishing credits include Lighthouse Digest, 69 Flavors of Paranoia, and The Midnight Gallery. He currently has work published online in Pillow Screams, The Devil's Mouth, Short, Scary Tales, and Alchemy. He is also editor of the writing site Writer's Inkwell.