A direct message (or “DM”) is a private communication sent between two or more parties on a social networking platform. Unlike public posts, only the sender and recipient(s) can see their DMs.
Detailed Explanation
Sending DMs is a lot like texting. You can message a single person or a group (at least, on most platforms) and engage in a private back-and-forth that isn’t published on your profiles.
Most social media sites have DM capabilities, each with its own rules. For example, you can only send up to 500 DMs on Twitter each day, and if you send an Instagram direct message to someone you don’t follow, the message becomes a “request” the other user must accept before replying. Direct messages on Zoom are governed by a “Chat Etiquette policy,” which call admins can use to monitor and prohibit specific keywords or information (like account numbers).