- Discord is a group-chatting platform originally built for gamers that has since become a general use platform for many kinds of communities.
- Discord is divided into servers, each of which has its own members, topics, rules, and channels.
- Discord also allows users to voice- and video-chat, as well as livestream games and other programs from their computers.
Advertisem*nt
Discord, a popular group-chatting app, was originally made to give gamers a place to build communities and talk.
But since its launch in 2015, it has branched out to include communities from all over the internet, ranging from writers to artists to K-Pop stans. It has boomed in popularity during the pandemic, as more people have worked, played games, and socialized online, and the platform says it now has more than 140 million active monthly users.
Here's a guide to Discord, one of the most popular chatting apps around today, which is available for Mac, PC, iPhone, and Android devices.
Discord, explained
At a basic level, Discord is built to allow members to message each other. Each community is called a "server." If you're familiar with Slack, you can think of it as a less formal version of that app.
Servers are filled with text channels (where you can type to talk to other people) and voice channels (where you can voice-chat with others). You can also share videos, images, internet links, music, and more.
Each server usually has multiple channels, each of which is dedicated to a different topic or has different rules.
For example, you might have one channel to talk about a game, and another for general chatting, and another for pictures of cats. The possibilities are endless.
Starting your own server is free, as is joining other servers.
There are thousands of different Discord servers, each one dedicated to a different topic. If you have an interest in something, there's a good chance you can find a Discord server for it.
This is especially true for video games, which make up the bulk of Discord's most popular servers.
To find new servers to join, you can Google "[insert topic here] Discord server." You can also use Discord's own search engine, but be aware that it doesn't track all servers, only the most popular ones.
While chatting, you can also use commands like "/giphy" or "/spoiler" to do things like add a GIF to your message or mark your message as a spoiler.
Much like other chatting apps, Discord allows you to directly message other users. When you do this, you can voice- or video-chat with them.
Discord can also be connected to other apps, like YouTube and Spotify. And there are both desktop and mobile versions of the platform, so you can use it no matter which device you're using — even while you're gaming.
You also have the option to upgrade to Discord Nitro, which includes features like higher video quality, server boosting, a higher upload limit, enhanced quality live streaming, and a custom Discord tag for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at@devondelfino.
Senior Reporter
Grace Dean is a Senior Business Reporter at Business Insider's London office. She covers retail, transport, tech, and other breaking business news. She particularly enjoys writing about the restaurant industry, fast-food giants, retail trends, and the labor market.Grace joined the team in August 2020 after studying German & Business at Newcastle University and spending a year as the Editor-in-Chief of its student newspaper the Courier. She spent a semester at Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg in Germany and also speaks conversational Dutch.Grace has spoken on Sky News and the BBC World Service.You can email her at gdean@businessinsider.com.You can also message her for details of her WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.Here are some examples of her coverage:Calibrate's CEO announced layoffs affecting over 150 staff on a Zoom call. Minutes later, their company laptops were wiped.Starbucks workers say customers got ruder during the pandemicLaid-off Googlers say they're frustrated about being treated as external candidates for jobs despite still being paidTruckers say an electronic device that measures the hours they drive sometimes leaves them stranded 30 minutes from homeI'm a former preschool teacher who now makes more money as a BBW model on OnlyFans and spends less time workingBritain's charity stores are going upmarketHere are the no-frills tactics that help make Aldi so cheapThe CEO of a smoothie company with nearly 1,000 stores is bucking a huge industry trend by shunning ghost kitchensPrivate cleaning companies are turning down business and canceling regular customers because of staff shortages
