asynchronous

Something that is not happening in real time, rather senders ship off their messages for recipients to open or view at their convenience. Asynchronous communication examples include: email, texting, newsgroups, listservs, blogs, social media. Examples of one-to-one asynchronous communication include: email and text messaging. Examples of one-to-many asynchronous communication include: newsgroups, listservs, blogs, social media.

The opposite of asynchronous is synchronous, something that is happening in real time. Synchronous communication examples include: instant messaging, video conferencing, webcams, MUDs, MOOs, chat, Second Life. Examples of one-to-one synchronous communication include: instant messaging. Examples of one-to-many synchronous communication include: video conferencing, MUDs, and MOOs.