Before social media, the U.S. government pioneered the first real-time online chat system.
In short: Long before modern messaging apps, the U.S. government launched the first chat system in 1971 to coordinate regional offices during a wage-price freeze. This early tool, known as EMISARI, paved the way for the digital conversations that now define our global, real-time communication landscape.
The origins of online chat are rooted in government and academic experimentation. Developed by Murray Turoff, a PhD graduate from Berkeley, the EMISARI system allowed ten regional offices to link via a real-time 'party line' until 1986. Shortly after, in 1973, Doug Brown and David R. Woolley created Talkomatic on the PLATO system at the University of Illinois. This was the first public chat system, featuring channels that displayed messages character-by-character as they were typed.
As technology evolved, so did the reach of these platforms. In 1980, Alexander 'Sandy' Trevor launched the CompuServe CB Simulator in Columbus, Ohio, marking the first widely available public chat service. By 1988, Jarkko Oikarinen had introduced Internet Relay Chat (IRC), and by February 1989, the first transatlantic Internet chat occurred between Oulu, Finland, and Corvallis, Oregon. These developments transitioned chat from a niche technical tool into a mainstream social phenomenon.
Today, synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) encompasses far more than simple text. It includes audio, video, and immersive virtual worlds where users interact via avatars. While these tools offer significant benefits in education—such as enabling real-time collaboration and connecting students with experts across time zones—research indicates they can also introduce distractions and information asymmetries. Whether through professional web conferencing or casual social media, the core function remains the same: facilitating real-time, multi-user interaction across physical distances.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Online chat
- Also: Wikidata — online chat · CC0
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