{"id":20202,"date":"2020-01-29T12:18:28","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T12:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/chat"},"modified":"2026-09-18T09:56:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:56:28","slug":"chat","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/chat","title":{"rendered":"Chat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chat\"Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chat<\/strong> is a digital conversation based primarily on the exchange of messages between two or more participants through a network. The term also refers to the interface, room, channel or service where that conversation takes place.<\/p>\n

The exchange may occur in near real time or continue asynchronously. Participants do not always need to be connected simultaneously, particularly when the service retains the history and sends notifications.<\/p>\n\n

History of chat<\/h2>\n

Communication through messages between users of computer systems predates current applications. One of its main milestones was the creation of IRC, short for Internet Relay Chat<\/em>, by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988.<\/p>\n

IRC organised conversations through servers, shared channels and private messages. The protocol was subsequently documented in RFC 1459<\/a>, published in 1993, and provided a reference for numerous online conversation systems.<\/p>\n

Instant messaging services, website chat interfaces, mobile applications and collaboration tools later became widespread. These platforms introduced persistent histories, file sharing, voice messages, reactions, calls and other functions that were not present in every earlier system.<\/p>\n

The use of the term also expanded. It may refer both to a particular conversation and to the component of an application that enables it.<\/p>\n

How chat works<\/h2>\n

A chat system receives a message, associates it with a conversation and sender and distributes it to authorised participants. Depending on the service, it may record the time, delivery status, replies, edits and associated files.<\/p>\n

Chat does not necessarily mean synchronous communication.<\/strong> Some conversations involve immediate responses, while others continue over hours or days. Presence, typing, delivery and read indicators depend on the platform and do not by themselves prove that a person has read or understood a message.<\/p>\n

Text remains the primary component of chat but may be accompanied by images, videos, links and documents. Voice messages allow recorded audio to be sent for later listening. Voice calls and video calls, by contrast, are live communications that some applications integrate as complementary features.<\/p>\n

Instant messaging commonly refers to the complete service, which may include contacts, notifications, history and presence. Chat is the conversation or conversational space operating within that service.<\/p>\n

Live chat is commonly associated with a conversation started from a website or application to receive assistance at a particular time. It may be handled by a person, a chatbot<\/a> or a combination of automation and human support. A chatbot is an automated participant rather than the chat channel itself.<\/p>\n

Chat organisation<\/h2>\n

Conversations may be organised individually or through groups, rooms and channels. A group allows several participants to contribute, while a channel may be intended primarily for broadcasting and restrict who can publish. The particular distinction depends on each platform’s permissions.<\/p>\n

Current services incorporating chat include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • WhatsApp:<\/strong> It provides individual and group conversations, communities, file sharing, voice messages and calls. Meta, then called Facebook, acquired the company in 2014.<\/li>\n
  • Telegram:<\/strong> Launched in 2013 by Pavel and Nikolai Durov, it includes individual conversations, groups and channels. Channels are intended primarily for broadcasting and do not operate in the same way as conversation groups.<\/li>\n
  • Microsoft Teams:<\/strong> It combines chat, channels, calls and meetings within collaborative spaces.<\/li>\n
  • Google Chat:<\/strong> It provides direct messages and spaces for group conversations and can be used alongside Google Meet for meetings.<\/li>\n
  • Zoom Team Chat:<\/strong> It includes direct messages, group conversations and channels within Zoom Workplace, with continuity outside video meetings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These services share certain features but are not equivalent. Conversation organisation, participation limits, interoperability and history retention depend on the platform and its configuration.<\/p>\n

    Social networks also include private messages or conversations restricted to particular participants. These differ from posts and comments visible to a wider audience but remain subject to the platform’s features and policies.<\/p>\n

    Chat governance<\/h2>\n

    A private chat is a space with restricted access, not a technical guarantee of confidentiality.<\/strong> End-to-end encryption, where available, depends on the service, conversation type, participants and configuration being used.<\/p>\n

    Messages may be stored on devices, provider servers, backups or systems managed by an organisation. Removing a message from an interface does not guarantee that every copy has disappeared or prevent another participant from retaining it through a screenshot or forwarding.<\/p>\n

    Permissions may determine who can enter a room, publish, invite other participants, consult the history or administer the space. Groups, communities and professional environments may also provide moderation, reporting, blocking and record-retention mechanisms.<\/p>\n

    When chat is used to handle enquiries, its operation depends on agent availability, queues, notifications and history continuity. A response is not necessarily immediate even when the interface is presented as live chat.<\/p>\n

    The information requested and retained needs to correspond to the purpose of the conversation. Participants’ visible identity, metadata, shared files and retention rules form part of the service’s operation alongside message content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Definition: Chat is a digital conversation based primarily on the exchange of messages between two or more participants through a network. The term also refers to the interface, room, channel or service where that conversation takes place. The exchange may occur in near real time or continue asynchronously. Participants do not always need to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1379],"class_list":["post-20202","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-digital-communication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/20202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=20202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}