Chat rooms are digital spaces on the Internet[3] where users can communicate in real-time, either individually or in groups. The first chat system was used by the U.S. government in 1971, with the first public online chat[1] system, Talkomatic, emerging in 1973. By the 1980s, chat services like CompuServe CB Simulator became widely available. Nowadays, many médias sociaux[2] platforms function as chat rooms. Some chat rooms provide graphical multi-user environments, such as 2D or 3D experiences with avatars and virtual elements. They can also host games, and some feature audio and video communications. Chat rooms have rules of behavior to ensure a safe and respectful environment. These rules can include prohibitions on offensive language, hate speech, and impersonation.
Le terme chat roomou chatroom (and sometimes group chat; abbreviated as GC), is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology, ranging from real-time online chat and online interaction with strangers (e.g., online forums) to fully immersive graphical social environments.
The primary use of a chat room is to share information via text with a group of other users. Generally speaking, the ability to converse with multiple people in the same conversation differentiates chat rooms from messagerie instantanée programs, which are more typically designed for one-to-one communication. The users in a particular chat room are generally connected via a shared internet or other similar connection, and chat rooms exist catering for a wide range of subjects. New technology has enabled the use of file sharing and webcams.