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Left the Chat: No 1. Whatsapp Mishaps

Influenced Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat
Episode 1 of 6

Instant messaging can lead to chaos, confusion - and comedy. Here are three stories from the frontline of the strange world inside our phones.

In 1998, Helen’s family got their first home computer - and she logged on to chat with existing friends and strangers she met online. Since then, instant messaging has taken over our lives, with an estimated 2.7 billion users on WhatsApp alone.

But what is happening in the secrecy of our direct message inboxes and neighbourhood group chats? Three stories of chaos, confusion - and comedy - highlight just how strange it can feel to make sense of the fast paced, casual world of instant messaging.

Producer: Tom Pooley
Assistant Producer: Orla O'Brien
Sound Design: Louis Blatherwick
Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
Original music: Coach Conrad

A Tempo & Talker production for ±«Óãtv Radio 4

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Sat 6 Apr 2024 21:30
±«Óãtv Radio 4

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Left the Chat: No 2. Fax Machines and Foxy NatashasHelen Lewis Has Left the Chat

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Broadcasts

  • Wed 3 Apr 2024 09:30
    ±«Óãtv Radio 4
  • Sat 6 Apr 2024 21:30
    ±«Óãtv Radio 4

Podcast

  • Influenced

    From WhatsApp leaks to group chat nightmares, how instant messaging changed the world.