Chat room
From Free net encyclopedia
A chat room is an online forum where people can chat online (talk by broadcasting messages to people on the same forum in real time). Sometimes these venues are moderated either by limiting who is allowed to speak (not common), or by having moderation volunteers patrol the venue watching for disruptive or otherwise undesirable behavior.
Chat systems come in a variety of styles ranging from text only messaging systems to fully immersive 3D environments. By far the most common form in recent times is instant messaging (ICQ, AIM, MSN, Jabber, etc). Some would argue that these are not truly chat rooms as they are characterized by being one on one conversations with people in a users "buddy list". However as the popular media has confused the issue, this brief description is included here. Recently these systems have started to incorporate the ability to chat with multiple people simultaneously, but these are still conversations restricted to the users buddy list, not a cocktail/block party style venue as true chat rooms are.
A notable amount of people were introduced to chat rooms from AOL. Games were often played in chat rooms, such as an AOL chatroom game in AOL chat rooms.
Chat rooms are often confused (especially by the popular media) with discussion groups, which are similar but do not take place in real time and are usually run over the World Wide Web.
On average about 90 percent of users who frequently use chatrooms are male, this figure does not account for males who claim to be females, which is a fairly common act.
The oldest form of true chat rooms are the text-based variety. The most popular of this kind of chat room is Internet Relay Chat (or IRC). However, there are also talkers, bulletin board systems, and havens. The popularity of many these kinds of chat rooms have waned over the years, but IRC's popularity still remains strong.
At the next level are the 2D visual chat rooms. These are characterized by using a graphic representation of the user (avatar) that can be moved about a graphic background of the "room". (Two examples of this type of chat room are The Palace and more recently The Manor.) These environments are capable of incorporating elements such as games and educational material most often developed by individual site owners, who in general are simply more advanced users of the systems. Some visual chat rooms also incorporate audio and video communications, so that users may actually see and hear each other. This is particularly popular with those keeping in touch with far-flung family members.
Finally, there are the 3D chat rooms. These are similar to the 2D variety except that they utilize 3D graphics. This allows a user a more realistic interaction with the environment. The most popular environments allow users to create or "build" their own spaces. However, some find these types of environments cumbersome to use and actually an impediment to chatting. Three examples of this type of chat are There, Second Life, and Activeworlds.
One of the first novels to explore the phenomenon of Internet chatting is Chatroom Blues by India-based novelist Sunil R. Nair. Chatroom Blues (ISBN 8190166905), an experimental work of fiction was published by PrintReach Publications. The book depicts the dark side of people on the chat sites who use the anonymity of the chat room to express who they really are. The main character, Manav, is a failed writer who gets on a chatsite and meets the flotsam of humanity — people in cyber existence, fourteen-year-old girls, blind men, bored housewives and cold-blooded murderers. Chatroom Blues is one of the first works of fiction to delve into the minds of people who lead a dual life — one in the real world and another in an artificial medium.
Many people who visit chat rooms use them as a place to experience online sex, also known as cybersex. While not physically able to see their partner, cyber-ers apparently get stimulation by reading x-rated quotes. While many in the media focus on this aspect of chat rooms as it certainly boosts their ratings, it is by no means the only thing chat rooms are used for.
External links
- Report Chat Abuse — A place to report abuse in chatrooms
- Chat Danger — How to keep safe when chatting online
- The Psychology of Cyberspace Hypertext book exploring the psychological aspects of online environments by Dr. John Suler, Rider University
- For chat room sites, see Template:Dmozsimple:Chat room