Discord

Discord is a group communication platform built around voice, video and text channels, originally for gamers and now used by communities of every kind.

Its defining design choice is the absence of the call. People hop in and out of voice or text chats without having to ring anyone or send an invitation, so a conversation persists before, during and after whatever the group is doing. That is a genuinely different social model from every conferencing tool, where a call is an event someone schedules, everyone joins and everyone leaves, and it is why Discord communities feel continuously inhabited rather than periodically convened.

Presence works the same way. Members see who is around, who is playing games and who is just hanging out, and for supported games can see which modes or characters friends are playing and join them directly. Ambient awareness of who is available is what makes spontaneous conversation possible at all.

Streaming is high quality and low latency, described as feeling like being on the same couch, whether playing a game, watching a show, looking at photos or doing homework. Personalisation runs through custom emoji, stickers, soundboard effects, avatars, custom statuses and written profiles, which is how a server develops its own culture rather than looking like every other one. Shared activities include watching videos, playing built in games and listening to music together. Discord is free to use, with an optional paid subscription.