(Image: Tricia Yourkevich)

"These days, far fewer of us wear a suit to work. We don't need to know the difference between "yours faithfully" and "yours sincerely". We use abbreviations and emojis - maybe even when talking to our boss. And nothing has made our culture less formal than the widespread adoption of instant messaging - in our workplaces, our families and our relationships." — Helen Lewis

Have you ever been trapped in a group chat nightmare? Who’s the admin in your family group, and do they wield that power responsibly? Do you ever wonder if it’s appropriate to use emojis when talking to your boss? In a new series for BBC Radio 4, Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat, the author and journalist uncovers how instant messaging has infiltrated our everyday life, shaping not only our relationships but also the political landscape.

Across six episodes, Helen (presenter of Radio 4 series The New Gurus) looks at how the rise of instant messaging has made our social and professional lives faster, more casual — and more chaotic. From meeting a woman who married a chatbot to discovering how Russian dissidents are fighting a propaganda war on Telegram, the series also hears from political insiders, including Dominic Cummings, to understand how Britain ended up governed by WhatsApp.

Amid widespread discussion of the effects of public social media, such as Facebook and X, there has been relatively little attention paid to private social networks—the direct message and the group chat. But all that is about the change. ‘Helen Lewis Has Left The Chat’ dives into a strange new world where workplace rebellions are conducted through duelling emojis on Slack, where military secrets are traded on chat forums about a video game, and where you can never be quite sure who you’re talking to—and who’s eavesdropping.

Helen Lewis says "These days, far fewer of us wear a suit to work. We don't need to know the difference between "yours faithfully" and "yours sincerely". We use abbreviations and emojis - maybe even when talking to our boss. And nothing has made our culture less formal than the widespread adoption of instant messaging - in our workplaces, our families and our relationships. As a writer who's interested in technology, I've written lots about the effects of Facebook, Instagram and X. But services like WhatsApp, Slack and Discord are having just as big an effect on the world, with far less scrutiny. What's happening in our group chats is absolutely wild."

Commissioning Editor Daniel Clarke says "Instant messaging and group chats have transformed the way we all communicate – blurring the boundaries between public and private, bringing new social and professional dynamics into our lives, and reshaping the ways that those who govern us talk to one another about huge matters of public interest. Helen's brilliant new series explores the wonders – and potential pitfalls - of being so instantly contactable."

Helen Lewis Has Left The Chat starts on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds on Wednesday 3 April at 9.30am.