Chat is real-time text-based conversation between two or more people, typically through social media platforms or messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, or Discord. For brands, chat has become one of the most direct channels for customer engagement, support, and conversational commerce.

What is chat?

Chat refers to synchronous, text-based communication that happens in real time. Unlike email or social media comments, chat is built for rapid back-and-forth exchanges that flow like natural conversation.

The term originally described casual spoken conversation, but in a social media context it covers any direct message, private message, or group conversation on a platform’s built-in messaging feature. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Discord servers, Instagram DMs, and X (formerly Twitter) messages are all forms of chat.

What sets chat apart from other digital communication is immediacy. Participants expect near-instant replies, creating a conversational rhythm closer to spoken dialogue than written correspondence. That expectation of speed is what makes chat both powerful and demanding for any brand that uses it as a customer touchpoint.

How chat works on social media

Chat on social media platforms takes several distinct forms, each serving a different purpose:

  • One-on-one messages: Private conversations between two users, commonly called DMs or PMs. This is the default chat format on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and most other platforms.
  • Group chats: Multi-person threads used for everything from friend groups to brand communities. WhatsApp groups support up to 1,024 participants, while Discord servers can host thousands across organized channels.
  • Chatbots: Automated chat interfaces that handle customer queries, recommend products, or guide users through support workflows. Meta reported that over 300,000 chatbots were active on Messenger as of 2024.
  • Live chat: Real-time support widgets embedded on websites, often staffed by human agents or hybrid AI-human systems that route complex issues to the right team.
  • Community chat: Persistent chat spaces within platforms like Discord or Telegram where communities gather around shared interests. These blend the immediacy of chat with the organized, searchable structure of forums.

Most platforms now support rich media in chat — images, voice notes, video, emojis, GIFs, and shared posts — making conversations far more expressive than plain text. This richness is part of why messaging has overtaken public posting as the primary activity on many social networks.

Why chat matters for brands

Chat has shifted from a convenience to a strategic imperative. As consumers increasingly favor private messaging over public feeds, brands that show up in chat channels build stronger, more personal relationships.

Customers expect real-time responses. According to Salesforce’s 2024 State of the Connected Customer report, 83% of customers expect to interact with someone immediately when they contact a company. Chat meets that expectation where email queues and phone trees fall short.

Conversational commerce is expanding. Messaging apps are no longer just for conversation — they are transaction channels. WhatsApp Business, Instagram Shopping DMs, and Messenger product catalogs let customers browse, ask questions, and purchase without leaving the chat window. In markets like India and Brazil, WhatsApp is already a primary commerce platform for small businesses.

Private channels surface unfiltered insight. Consumers share more candid feedback in private chats than in public comments. For brands using a social media management platform, these one-on-one conversations are a valuable source of customer sentiment that public monitoring alone can miss.

Chat for customer engagement and support

For brands investing in chat as a channel, a few principles consistently separate effective programs from forgettable ones:

  • Respond quickly. Speed is the currency of chat. Automated acknowledgments buy time, but human follow-up within minutes is what builds lasting loyalty.
  • Use chatbots strategically. Bots handle repetitive queries well — order status, store hours, FAQs — freeing human agents for complex issues. For a practical walkthrough, see how to set up Messenger bots for customer engagement.
  • Monitor across platforms. Customers chat wherever is most convenient, and they expect consistent quality regardless of channel. A unified approach to instant messaging management ensures no conversation falls through the cracks.
  • Keep it human. Even with automation, inject personality and empathy. Chat that feels robotic erodes trust faster than slow chat does.

Chat is also where AI-assisted customer service and community engagement are converging. Platforms are integrating generative AI to help agents draft replies, summarize long conversations, and triage incoming messages — making chat scalable without sacrificing the personal touch customers expect.

For more social media terms and definitions, explore the Brandwatch Social Media Glossary.