Why do some people say “chat” instead of “y'all/you guys”?

i don't think i've ever known someone to say this seriously in real life, it's usually just an ironic joke imitating streamers

It's just like saying "am I right folks" as if in front of a studio audience. Mildly humorous

I’ve never heard that in my life.

It's a neologism derived from livestreaming culture. When streamers are talking to their audience, they sometimes address them as "chat", as the way the audience interacts with the streamer is through a "chat" box in the streaming program. People sometimes have used it outside the livestream context in a humorous manner. From there it's started to be picked up by some people (mainly children who grew up watching a lot of streaming) and used outside livestream context in a non-humorous, unironic way.

It's just slang, imagining a "group chat," or a streamer talking to their "live chat," even if you're in real life.

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In this case "chat" is shorthand for "Dear people who are subscribed to this chat".

It’s a reference to live streaming, mostly on twitch. The streamer will talk to “chat” because that’s the method the live viewers use to communicate with the streamer. It somewhat evolved into a term to refer to spectators of any kind but it’s very much only used by younger people or those who spend a lot of time on the internet.

I prefer chat to y’all

it comes from video game streamers addressing the people watching and sending messages. they look in the “chat” to see what people are saying. it’s evolved to everyone messaging on a streamer’s live to be referred to as “chat” themselves. it’s now evolved to beyond a video game stream and it’s used in group chats and even in person conversations. it’s not an official thing however. it’s used for irony and humor, not a serious addressing of people

They do?

It comes from the internet. Streamers interact with the chat rooms of people watching them as kind of an amorphous mass, and thus a singular collective pronoun was introduced within that context, which then began to spread outside it. I think it's neat! Language evolves. People dont really say "y'all" where I'm from, so there was a bit of an awkward void in language, and this new word fills that void

I JUST learned this today. It's a streamer thing. Because streamers are broadcasting to many people in the chat so, I guess it's evolved to a two-way dialogue of sorts with all the members of the chat becoming one entity. It's kinda wild.

Live streaming video often has a chatroom associated with it so that's how the streamers address the people there.

This is mostly used ironically by people making fun of streamers who address their audience as “chat”

Some people? Are you talking to a lot of middle school and elementary age kids? Because they're the only ones that say this. It's the new genAlpha slang.

Please don't tell me people actually say "chat" to address their friends in real life.

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Both "y'all" and "you guys" are more of an American thing. Those saying "chat" could just simply be from those who are not American.

Is this a W or L question, chat?

It’s a play off of how streamers talk to their chat.

I've heard my students say it, unironcially. Too much time watching streamers.

It's in joking reference to how YouTube/twitch streamers speak

“Chat, is this real?” I really hope that we don’t replace “y’all” with this cause it’s too much, I’d say.

I don't think they do. Can you give more context?

it’s called slang

Tiktok.

Because they watch of streamers who are used to talking to their chat and obviously referring to their chat as chat when they want to talk to them.

They watch streams on Twitch/YouTube too much.

Internet slang.

r/kidsarefuckingstupid